Portrait of man who killed Beant Singh, 16 others up at Sikh museum

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Tuesday installed a portrait of the assassin of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh in the Central Sikh museum of the Golden Temple. SGPC, which is the apex religious body of Sikhs, also installed the portrait of former head priest of Akal Takht – Giani Bhagwan Singh.

Dilawar Singh was among the three Punjab Police constables who executed the plan to kill the then Punjab chief minister Beant Singh. Both the portraits were unveiled by SGPC president Advocate Harjinder Singh and additional head granthi of Sachkhand Sri Harmandar Sahib, Giani Jagtar Singh. Twenty-seven years ago, former Punjab Police officer Dilawar Singh had tied a belt of explosives around his waist, which led to a blast that killed the then CM Beant Singh at the Punjab Civil Secretariat on the evening of August 31, 1995.

After the gurbani kirtan and ardas (prayer), Harjinder Singh said that keeping in view their services, the portraits of Dilawar Singh and Giani Bhagwan Singh are displayed at xentral Sikh Museum. “Shaheed Bhai Dilawar Singh had put an end to the atrocities and gross human right violations committed against the Sikhs then. The decision of sacrificing self is not possible without the Guru’s blessing and whenever atrocities were committed on the community, Sikhs have always made history by making sacrifices,” he said.

On this occasion, additional head granthi Giani Jagtar Singh said that community always remembered those who gave sacrifice for the community and played an important role in preaching the Sikh faith and such personalities are respected by displaying their portraits at Central Sikh Museum.