Labh Singh
Sukhdev Singh Dhillon, also known as General Labh Singh and Sukha Sipahi was a militant, police officer, and Sikh separatist who took command of the Khalistan Commando Force after its first leader, Manbir Singh Chaheru, was arrested in 1986. Labh Singh was a close associate of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale who committed multiple targetted attacks with Surinder Singh Sodhi and fought against the Indian Army during Operation Blue Star.
He was involved in the assassination of retired Chief of Army Staff Arun Vaidya and the attack on the Director-General of the Punjab Police, Julio Francis Ribeiro. He was involved in multiple assassinations of police, and government officials as well as targeted attacks on Communists. Labh Singh was the mastermind behind the Lalru bus massacre and Fatehabad bus massacre killing 74 bus passengers. He masterminded what was then India's largest bank robbery, taking almost from the Punjab National Bank, Miller Gunj branch, Ludhiana. Labh Singh mastermind many other robberies which enabled the Khalistan Commando Force to buy weapons.
Early life
Labh Singh's original name was Sukhdev Singh DhillonHe was also known as Sukha Sipahi.
He lived in the village of Panjwar, in Tehsil Patti in district Tarn Taran and owned of land.
He married Davinder Kaur.
Punjab Police service
After finishing his education at Baba Buddha Sahib College, Labh Singh joined the Punjab Police force in 1971 and served the force until he left his job in May 1983.Militancy under Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale
Influenced by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, Labh Singh left the Punjab police in May 1983, and joined the Sikh militant movement. He was involved in militancy prior to his departure and was suspected to be involved in an attack on Inspector Harjit Singh. Labh Singh rose to become a very close associate of Jarnail Singh and a key hitman of Jarnail Singh. He along with Surinder Singh Sodhi were Bhinranwale's chief hitmen.Various assassinations and attack
On 27 October 1982, Labh Singh, Surinder Singh Sodhi, and another militant killed Resham Singh. Resham was the Sant Nirankari head of Hoshiarpur District and 1 of the 7 Sant Nirankari stars which were the Sant Nirankari version of the Panj Pyare. Following the 1978 Sikh–Nirankari clash, which saw 13 Sikh killed and 150 injured, Nirankari were expelled by the Akal Takht out of the Sikh fold and became a target of attacks.Resham had been receiving death threats for months and had been appointed a security guard from the Punjab Police. The day of the killing Resham's guard was on leave. Labh Singh and the other militants had disguised themselves as police officers. Labh Singh and the other militants drove-by on a Royal Enfield Bullet and shot Resham. Afterwards the militants stopped the motorcycle and shot Resham 3 more times. 2 stens and a pistol were used.
Killing Deputy Inspector General A.S. Atwal
On 25 April 1983, Deputy Inspector General A.S. Atwal was killed while leaving the Golden Temple. In the killing 2 others were critically injured. Labh Singh was involved in the killing. After Atwal was killed his driver and bodyguards quickly escaped. Other units stationed nearby also fled instead of taking any action. His death was celebrated by the other militants in the Temple who fired victory shots. His corpse remained there for hours. Only after Punjab Chief Minister Darbara Singh phone Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and got his permission was Atwal’s body recovered. Atwal had killed 1 of Jarnail Singh’s men and injured 3 others in am encounter causing him to be on the militant hit-list.On 1 May 1983, Labh Singh and 2 other militants were accused of throwing a grenade at Inspector Harjit Singh’s home while driving by on a motorcycle. Harjit survived the explosion, but it caused great damage to the surrounding area. Bhindranwale had accused Harjit of being involved in multiple extrajudicial executions of Sikhs and a “drinker of Sikh blood”.
On 30 May 1983, Sodhi along with Major Singh Nagoke and Labh Singh killed Inspector Bhagwan Singh Karianwala. He was gunned down in Sultanpur Lodhi in a busy market while patrolling. Bhagwan was killed along with his gunmen, a police constable. Sodhi, Labh and Nagoke grabbed the guns of the killed policemen, those being a sten and revolver. Bhagwan had been accused by Bhindranwale as being one of the leading officers in the torture of Sikhs.
On 15 August 1983, at around 1:15 PM Sodhi, Nagoke, and Labh Singh, from a motorcycle, opened fire on and killed Inspector Gurcharan Singh Sansi who was also on a motorcycle. Sansi was killed in Muktsar. Labh Singh had been targeting Sansi for some time. On 15 August he saw Sansi. Labh Singh and fellow militants had driven beside Sansi. Sodhi drove the motorcycle while Nagoke, and Labh Singh shot Sansi. His gunmen a police constable was shot, but managed to survive in an injured state. Both of their weapons were taken by Sodhi. Sodhi, Nagoke, and Labh Singh who drove away shouting "Bole so Nihal; Sat Sri Akal". Sansi had been accused of killing and "drinking the blood" of Sikhs by Bhindranwale. He was accused of being the leading officer in the torture of Sikhs.
On 26 September 1983, Makhan Singh, a Sergeant of Senior Superintendent of Police Surjit Singh, was killed in Putlighar area of Amritsar outside of a hostel by Sodhi and Labh Singh. Makhan had made his way to a hotel where Labh Singh and Sodhi were in disguise. Labh Singh and Sodhi had been hunting Makhan for some time. Makhan was shot in the shoulder by Labh Singh. He ran out of the hostel and attempted to flee, but failed to do so and was killed outside with a spray of bullets in his head and chest. Sodhi and Labh Singh made a quick getaway. Police conducted multiple searches to find them, but they proved futile. Makhan had been on hit list of militants for much time. Makhan had been named by Sant Jarnail Singh as someone who was an enemy of Sikhs. He was also accused of being part of the torture and extrajudicial execution of Kulwant Singh Nagoke. Jarnail Singh accused him of 13 extrajudicial killings.
On 29 October 1983, Labh Singh with Makhan Singh Babbar and Sodhi attacked retired DSP Gurbachan Singh also known as Bachan Singh. Gurbachan was at a shop owned by his son. Sodhi and the others first disguised themselves as police officers. They then made their way to Gurbachan. Sodhi, Makhan, and Labh attacked Gurbachan and his security with Sten guns. The attack turned into a 30 minute shootout with a constable and salesmen being killed. A head constable, Karnail Singh, would later die of his wounds. Gurbachan lived by taking cover and playing dead. Surinder Singh Sodhi was injured in the attack. Makhan Singh was also injured in the attack and would receive blood from Manbir Singh Chaheru to live. Gurbachan Singh had tortured Amrik Singh He also had tortured Kulwant Singh Nagoke and after killed him in an extrajudicial execution. He was also involved in other extrajudicial executions. He had been named by Jarnail Singh as an enemy of the Panth and someone who, "..drank Sikh blood".
On 9 March 1984 Labh Singh along with Sodhi, and Gurmit Singh Sukha attacked the motorcade of Deputy Speaker of the Haryana Legislative Assembly Ved Pal. The attack occurred when he was going from Delhi to Karnal. MLA Shanti Devi was along with Ved Pal at the time of the attack. Labh Singh and his associates opened fire from a motorcycle with Sten guns. The driver was killed, and a gunman seriously injured. Others escaped with minor injuries.
Killing BJP MLA Harbans Lal Khanna
On 2 April 1984, Surinder Singh Sodhi along with Labh Singh killed former MLA Harbans Lal Khanna in his shop in Amritsar. Khanna was the BJP district president at the time. His bodyguard and 1 or 2 customers of his shop were also killed. Sodhi and Labh Singh also burned down a police jeep by Khanna’s shop. Sodhi and Labh Singh had posed as police officers. Sodhi waited outside on a motorcycle as Labh Singh entered the shop. Labh Singh opened fire with a stengun killing Khann’s bodyguard and others, all of whom wete sitting. Khanna shouted frantically. Labh Singh said, “Dhoti, topi, at Yamuna. Long live Khalistan.” He then killed Khanna.Khanna had raised slogans translating to, “We are not going to let any second or third group exist, we are not going to let a turban remain on any head; the kacchera, the kara, the kirpan, send these to Pakistan". In February 1984 he led a mob that destroyed a replica of the Golden Temple at Amristar railway station and put feces and lit cigarettes on a painting of Guru Ram Das which had been on display for many years. All of this had made him a prime target for Sikhs. The killing of Khanna led to a 48 hour curfew in Amritsar and paramilitary and army deployment to the city. Soon rioting also broke out. The riots left at least 7 dead.
Labh Singh and Sodhi were given the duty of killing Bhajan Lal the Chief Minister of Haryana by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Bhajan Lal had started the construction of SYL which was opposed by Sikh. Bhajan Lal as head of the Haryana government in November 1982 had Sikh indiscriminately stopped, searched, and humiliated who planned to hold a protest at the Delhi Asia Games. Bhindranwale blamed Bhajan Lal for rioting against Sikh in Haryana during early 1984. The rioting saw the burning of 24 saroops of Guru Granth Sahib, 6 Gurdwaras, shaving 125 Sikh, and stripping 3 Sikh girls. All of this made Bhajan Lal a key target. Once Sodhi, and Labh were in range of shooting Bhajan Lal, but had been ordered to chop off Bhajan Lal's head by Bhindranwale. Because of there devotion to honour Bhindranwale's words they left Bhajan Lal. Before being able to assassinate Bhajan Lal Sodhi would he killed. Bhindranwale would later claim that Bhajan Lal would be killed if Sodhi lived 15 days more.
On 14 April 1984 Surinder Singh Sodhi, one of Labh Singh’s closest friends and the “right-arm” of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, was killed while drinking tea in a shop in Amritsar. Sodhi was killed by a men and a women. The women, Baljit Kaur, would go to the Golden Temple after the killing and confessed to the murder. Baljit Kaur was interrogated by Bhidnranwale. She admitted to the other killer being her boyfriend Surinder Singh Shinda, and to being paid by Gurcharan Singh, the general secretary of Akali Dal, to do the killing. She also implicated others. Bhindranwale vowed to avenge the killing. With this Labh Singh and fellow militants made their way to punish those who they deemed to be the culprits. Labh Singh and others killed Surinder Singh Shinda. He was chopped into 7 pieces for shooting Sodhi 7 times. He was killed within 24 hours of Bhindranwale vowing vengeance.
On 23 April 1984, Labh Singh and fellow militants robbed from Punjab and Sind bank in Amritsar. It was described as a “clean-operation” while also being described as “spontaneous”.