Jagga Jatt

Jagat Singh, best known as Jagga Jatt or Jagga Dakoo was a 20th-century heroic rebel of Punjab.^[1][3][4][5] He is known as the Robin Hood of Punjab for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor".^[6]

Early life

Jagga was born as Jagat Singh in 1901/02^[1] in a Sikh family, to father Sardar Makhan Singh and mother Bhagan, in the village of Burj Ran Singh^[1] of Lahore District^[2][7] (now Kasur District) in British Punjab. Jagga had two sisters^[2] and was the only son of S. Makhan Singh.

S. Makhan Singh and Bhaagan had six children before Jagga but none of them survived.^[7] At this, Makhan Singh went to a saint Inder Singh, in the nearby village of Sodhi Wala, who told him to buy a buck (male goat) before the birth of the next baby and told him that the buck should be touched by the newly born. The saint also told him not to name the baby starting with J.^[2][7]

However, the child was born and finally survived with the subsequent death of the buck touched by him, but an uncle of the child insisted on naming the child as Jagat Singh which was against the directions of the saint.

Jagga's father died when Jagga was a little child. He grew up in the care of his Chacha (Uncle) S. Roop Singh and mother Bhagan.^[1][2] He was very fond of wrestling and used to wrestle at the village Akhaara with his friend Sohan Teli. He got married to Inder Kaur of nearby village of Talwandi and the couple was blessed with the only daughter Gulab Kaur aka Gabo.^[1][2]

Personality

Jagga had a strong body, medium height, wheatish skin color, trimmed beard, double ringed whiskers and independent nature.^[1][6][7] Once he had beaten up the proud Nakai brothers who used to live at his In-law's village and then a Patwari (Land officer) who refused to do his work as he wanted Jagga to pay respect and bribe.^[2][6][7] Jagga became quite famous for his independent nature and strong body in the nearby villages.

Becoming an outlaw

During the British rule every person of guts and independent nature specially young men were watched carefully by the British because he might be dangerous to British Government's authority. Jagga's fame in the area resulted in attracting the jealousy of a Zaildar of Kal Mokal village.^[2][7] He considered Jagga's fame a challenge to him and imprisoned Jagga in a false case for 4 years.^[6][7] Later when Jagga was released and came back home, a theft incident happened in the nearby village of Bhai Pheru. The Zaildar with his friend inspector Asgar Ali found this incident to be another chance to harass Jagga and the inspector told Jagga to be present at the police station regarding the case.^[6][7] Many of Jagga's friends and well wishers tried to persuade Jagga but he declined and went underground and became an outlaw.^[2][6]

Becoming a rebel

Being angry on the police's behaviour he snatched a rifle from a policeman at Kanganpur village and killed him. From that day he became a bandit and started robbing at gun point, but he robbed only the rich to help the poor and needy.^[1][2][6][7] The first banditry he made was at Ghumiari village^[6][7] (at the border of Kasur and Lahore districts) at some goldsmith's house with his friends Jhanda Singh Nirmal Ke and Thakur Singh Mandeyali. They robbed the gold and lit fire to the ledgers that had the loan records of the poor mass. Later he established his group and his new friends were Banta Singh, his childhood friend Sohan Teli, Lalu Nai, Bholu and Bawa. Lalu Nai used to cook food for the group.^[2][6][7]

Death

There was an other famous bandit, Mallangi, in the nearby village of Sidhupur.^[6] Mallangi belonged to a Muslim family and his close friend Harnam Singh had a poor farmer family background. Once a guy informed the police about Mallangi's location and so he and his friend Harnam Singh were killed in the encounter^[6] and Mallangi's sister and brother were murdered with his father dying with the shock.^[6]

As this news reached Jagga he went to visit Mallangi's blind and mournfull mother. Deciding to spend the noon there he asked Lalu, the cook, to arrange food. Lalu called his brothers from his village nearby to kill Jagga for reward.^[1][2][7] He told them to partake wine with them. Jagga and Banta decided to have a drink before the meal but Sohan Teli refused as he claimed he had to visit the nearby village to meet his friend. Finally Jagga and Banta got intoxicated with alcohol and slept under the Boharh (Banyan) tree^[2][6][7] and Sohan Teli went to his friend. Taking benefit of the moment, Lalu Nai and his brothers shot the intoxicated Jagga and Banta.^[1][2][6][7] On hearing the gunshot, Sohan came back but was shot dead when he tried to attack Lalu on seeing the bloody bodies.

This is mentioned in a song too:

^[1][2]

Transliteration

jagga waddhia boharh di chhaven, nau man ret bhijj gai poorna, naeeaan ne waddh chhaddia jagga soorma.

Jagga led the life of an outlaw for only three months but people of the area had a breath of relief during the time.^[1][2]

Today

Gulab Kaur (Jagga's daughter) currently lives in the village of Vanwala Anu near Lambi in Sri Muktsar Sahib district.^[1][6] She was married in this village to Avtar Singh, the nephew of Jagga's friend Kehar Singh. Avtar Singh died in 2005.^[1][2] Jagga's wife Inder Kaur had also died at the same village in 1983.^[2]

See also

• Sucha Singh Soorma

References