CHANDIGARH — The legacy of the late Babbar Khalsa activist Shaheed Balwinder Singh Jatana has taken centre stage in regional politics as his immediate family strongly denounced attempts by individuals to leverage his name for political gains.
In a joint press conference held in Punjab, Balwinder Jatana’s elder sister Surinder Kaur, brother Pawan Singh, and nephew Harmanpreet Singh raised serious objections against Dalvir Singh Bunty, who has claimed familial ties to Jatana and is reportedly being considered as a contender to contest elections from the Rupnagar (Ropar) constituency under the banner of the Waris Punjab organization.
Contesting Claims and Allegations
The family categorically rejected Bunty’s claims of being a close brother to the martyred activist. Surinder Kaur and other family members alleged that Bunty is attempting to exploit Balwinder Jatana’s iconic stature—which recently saw renewed public attention following its mention in a track by the late singer Sidhu Moosewala—solely to secure political leverage and collect funds from non-resident Indians (NRIs).
Furthermore, the family accused Dalvir Singh of attempting to usurp their ancestral property, adding a legal and personal dimension to the political fallout.
Warning to Political Organizations
Directly addressing the leadership of the Waris Punjab organization, the Jatana family issued a stern warning against awarding an electoral ticket to Bunty.
Surinder Kaur asserted that if any member of the Jatana family holds the rightful claim to carry forward their socio-political legacy or contest elections, it is his immediate surviving family—pointing to the profound sacrifice and immense personal tragedy endured by her household, where multiple members, including her five-and-a-half-year-old child, perished when their ancestral home was set ablaze in the wake of the Sutluj-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal protests.
The family concluded that if the organization proceeds with allotting a ticket to Bunty despite these public objections, they will mount a stiff opposition and potentially field an independent candidate to represent their true legacy.
Background: The Legacy of Balwinder Singh Jatana
Balwinder Singh Jatana, a native of Jatana village in Chamkaur Sahib, became a central figure in Punjab’s modern political history due to his opposition to the construction of the Sutluj-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal. In a bid to halt the project, Jatana and his associates targeted Chief Engineer Avtar Singh Aulakh and Superintendent Engineer MS Sikri in Chandigarh.
Following the incident, the canal construction was halted, but the escalation resulted in a devastating crackdown on Jatana’s family home, claiming the lives of four family members. Balwinder Singh Jatana was subsequently killed on September 4, 1991, during an armed encounter with police forces, solidifying his status as a prominent historical figure in the region’s turbulent socio-political narrative.
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