June 6th 1984
The devoted and UNDEFEATED khalsa
Continuing from the night of the 5th June, moving into the early hours of the 6th of June, the battle increased in ferocity. Yet the Indian forces were unable to penetrate the fortifications of Sri Akal Takhat. Wave after wave of Indian attack was repelled as the Khalsa Fauj decimated entire divisions of the Indian army.
The generals of the Indian forces had made a huge blunder in their assessment of the Khalsa Fauj, while Sikh numbers were minuscule in comparison and the Sikh arsenal limited, it was the Indian troops who were proving to be militarily ill prepared for Sikh resistance.
In the early hours of 6th June an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) was brought on to the Parikarma, as it made its way around, passing the Baba Deep Singh Shaheedi Memorial, Sikh fighters fired a Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) from Sri Akal Takht targeting its tracks immobilising the APC. Loud war-cries roared out from Sri Akal Takhat.
The highly trained Indian soldiers, para-military troops and various members of the supporting divisions and battalions had failed in their attempts to break the will of the Sikh fighters.
Unable to defeat the Khalsa Fauj in pitched battles, Vijayantas tanks were used to blow up the battleground. High-explosive squash-head shells were exploded into Sri Akal Takhat and Sikh positions, Sikh fighters attained martyrdom in the defence of Sri Darbar Sahib.
The eye-witness account Bhai Mukhtiar Singh Mukhi:
SANT JI'S BELOVED - SHAHEED BHAI HARCHARN SINGH MUKTA (DAMDAMI TAKSAL)
At the time when Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Bhindranwale ordered that the last stand will take place in from in front of the Akal Takht, Bhai Harcharn Singh Mukta took a bucket and began to cut it in the shape of a helmet covering for his face. Bhai Mukhtiar Singh Mukhi asked him “Singh, what are you doing?” Smilingly, Bhai Harcharn Singh Mukta replied “Mukhtiar Singh, I am preparing for shaheedi (martyrdom). In this holy place there have been many enlightened and Gursikh shaheeds…it could be that future generations see us those who upheld Sikh sidhant and became shaheed as well. I don’t want my face to become unrecognizable by being hit with bullets and want future generations of Sikhs to be able to say that this is the spot where Harcharn Singh became a shaheed.”
ਸੰਤ ਜੀ ਦਾ ਪਿਆਰਾ - ਸ਼ਹੀਦ ਭਾਈ ਹਰਚਰਨ ਸਿੰਘ ਮੁੱਕਤਾ (ਦਮਦਮੀ ਟਕਸਾਲ)
ਜਿਸ ਵਕਤ ਸੰਤ ਜਰਨੈਲ ਸਿੰਘ ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ ਭਿੰਡਰਾਂਵਾਲੇ ਨੇ ਹੁਕਮ ਕਰ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਕਿ ਹੁਣ ਅਖੀਰਲਾ ਮੋਰਚਾ ਅਕਾਲ ਤਖ਼ਤ ਸਾਹਿਬ ਦੇ ਸਾਹਮਣੇ ਹੋਵੇਗਾ. ਉਸ ਵੇਲੇ ਭਾਈ ਹਰਚਰਨ ਸਿੰਘ ਮੁੱਕਤਾ ਇੱਕ ਬਾਲਟੀ ਨੂੰ ਲੈ ਕੇ ਉਸ ਦੀ ਕੱਟ ਵੱਢ ਕਰਨ ਲੱਗੇ. ਭਾਈ ਮੁਖਤਿਆਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਮੁਖੀ ਨੇ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਪੁੱਛਿਆ ਕਿ "ਸਿੰਘਾ, ਇਹ ਕੀ ਕਰਨ ਲੱਗ ਪਿਆ ਹੈ?" ਮੁਸਕਰਾ ਕੇ ਭਾਈ ਹਰਚਰਨ ਸਿੰਘ ਮੁੱਕਤਾ ਨੇ ਆਖਿਆ "ਮੁਖਤਿਆਰ ਸਿੰਘ, ਮੈਂ ਸ਼ਹੀਦੀ ਲਈ ਤਿਆਰ ਹੋ ਰਿਹਾ ਹਾਂ. ਇਸ ਪਵਿੱਤਰ ਅਸਥਾਨ ਤੇ ਕਈ ਮਹਾਂਪੁਰਖ ਅਤੇ ਗੁਰਸਿੱਖ ਸ਼ਹੀਦ ਹੋਏ ਹਨ...ਆਉਣ ਵਾਲੀਆਂ ਨਸਲਾਂ ਹੋ ਸਕਦਾ ਸਾਡੇ ਨੂੰ ਇਸ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ ਵੀ ਦੇਖਣ ਕਿ ਸਿੱਖੀ ਸਿਧਾਂਤ ਨੂੰ ਕਾਇਮ ਰੱਖਦੇ ਹੋਇਆਂ ਇਹ ਸਿੱਖ ਸ਼ਹੀਦ ਹੋਏ. ਮੈਂ ਚਾਹੁੰਦਾ ਹਾਂ ਕਿ ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਹਰਾ ਬੇਪਛਾਣ ਨਾ ਹੋ ਜਾਏ ਗੋਲੀਆਂ ਨਾਲ ਤੇ ਆਉਣ ਵਾਲੀਆਂ ਨਸਲਾਂ ਇਹ ਕਹਿਣ ਕਿ ਇਹ ਜਗ੍ਹਾ ਹੈ ਜਿੱਥੇ ਹਰਚਰਨ ਸਿੰਘ ਸ਼ਹੀਦ ਹੋਇਆ."
