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SEWA
SINGH THIKRIWALA
(Freedom Fighter)
Real
founder of the Praja Mandal movement in the Punjab and giant
among freedom fighters, Sewa Singh was born in August 1878 at
village Thikriwala, Patiala State. His father, Dewa Singh, was
an important official in the same state. When he grew up, Sewa
Singh also got appointment as a State official. But he did not
allow his official position to come in the way of his interest
in the educational and other programs of the Singh Sabha
movement.
But
as soon as Sewa Singh stepped out of the Lahore Fort, he was
arrested by the Patiala police and detained in the Patiala
jail. He was tried in the court of Barnala on the charge of a
minor theft (stealing of a garwi – a tiny round utensil) and
though the charge could not be proved, he was not released.
This act of high-handedness on the part of the State Ruler led
to a fierce agitation in the State. Baba Kharak Singh
demanding immediate release of the Thikriwala and condemning
the State Government for its arbitrariness. Inside the jail,
Sewa Singh sent on hunger strike as protests against
mistreatment by the jail officials. When his condition grew
critical, he was released on 24th August 1928.
When
the Maharaja of Patiala saw the increasing popularity of the
Praja Mandal movement in the State, he started negotiations
with Sewa Singh in 1931. The negotiation, however, broke down
over the demand of Sewa Singh for an elected assembly in the
State. In July 1931 he went to Simla to attend the third
conference of the Punjab Riasti Praja Mandal. The conference
could not be held on account of disturbance created by some
hirelings of Patiala, but Sewa Singh utilized the occasion to
have a discussion with Mahatma Gandhi on the problems of
States’ peoples.
On
15th May 1932 he presided over an Akali Conference at Khudiala
and made a powerful speech. In April, 1933 he attended the
fourth conference of the Punjab Praja Mandal at Delhi and
played an effective role in its proceedings. A month and a
quarter later he took part in a meeting of Praja Mandal
leaders at Amritsar where it was decided to send jathas of
people to the office of the Lahore Political Agent. In
consequence, Sewa Singh was served with orders to quit
Amritsar immediately and not to enter the districts of Lahore
and Amritsar for two months. After that when he reached in
Thikriwala, he was arrested by the Patiala police on 25th
August, 1933. Several charges were levelled against him but he
refused to defend himself. He was sentenced to 3 years’
imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 500 in the Khudiala Akali
Conference Case. He had hardly been in jail for six months
when he went on hunger-strike as a protest against
ill-treatment by the jail authorities. The Government did not
pay proper head to his health and he died on 20th January,
1935.
Source: chakdephate.com
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