Beant Singh (English: Beant Singh, born- 19 February, 1922; died- 31 August, 1995) was one of the senior politicians of the Indian National Congress, who was the former Chief Minister of Punjab. He was the Chief Minister of Punjab from 25 February, 1992 to 31 August, 1995. He was assassinated by Khalistani separatists by bombing his car. In the words of Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India – “As the Chief Minister of Punjab, Sardar Beant Singh fought hard to restore normalcy in the state.” On 18 December 2013, the Department of Posts issued a postage stamp in honor of Sardar Beant Singh.
Beant Singh was born on 19 February 1922 in Patiala, Punjab and later moved to village Bilaspur in Doraha Tehsil, Ludhiana. Later he shifted to village Kotli in the same district. His son Tej Prakash Singh was a minister in the Punjab government led by Harcharan Singh Brar. His daughter Gurkanwal Kaur is Minister of State for Social Welfare and Parliamentary Secretary in the Amarinder Singh government. His grandson Ravneet Singh is a politician from Ludhiana. Another grandson Gurkirat Singh is in politics from Kotli, Khanna.[1]
Beant Singh joined the army at the age of 23, but after two years of service, he decided to switch to politics and social work. He served the society by holding many important positions. He became the Chief Minister of Punjab in 1992. In his lifetime, he was elected to the Punjab Assembly five times and was also a minister in the Punjab government. He also served as the President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee from 1986 to 1995.
Beant Singh entered Punjab politics after the partition of 1947. In 1960, he was elected president of the block committee of Doraha in Ludhiana district. After working for some time as the director of the Central Cooperative Bank in Ludhiana, Beant Singh entered the Punjab Legislative Assembly as an independent candidate in 1969. He was also criticized for massive human rights violations and persecution of Sikhs.[1]
Beant Singh was assassinated in a bomb blast at the Secretary’s Complex in Chandigarh on August 31, 1995. The blast also killed 17 other people, including 3 Indian commandos. Beant Singh was with his close friend Ranjodh Singh Mann on the day of the assassination. Dilawar Singh Babbar of Babbar Khalsa International acted as the suicide bomber. Backup bomber Balwant Singh Rajoana was later convicted of the assassination.
In 2012, a Chandigarh court sentenced Rajoana to death. Many people protested the verdict and campaigned to stop the execution of Balwant Singh Rajoana. On March 28, 2012, the Indian government stayed Rajoana’s execution after former Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal met then President Pratibha Patil. On January 7, 2015, Jagtar Singh alias Tara, who allegedly masterminded the assassination of Beant Singh, was arrested by the Thailand police after a request from the Indian investigative agency Central Bureau of Investigation.
