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They fought for Indian freedom from Canada, USA, Burma, India.
Hanged today on 29 March 1917 in Lahore # Bhai Balwant Singh Khuradpur of Gadar Party.

Balwant Singh was born in 1882 at village Khurdpur, District Jullundur. He was the son of Budh Singh who was a well respected man in the area. He joined 36 Battalion of the Indian Army. He was influenced by sant Karam Singh at Madras. He resigned his service and then in April, 1906 went to Canada. B.A. McKelvie, a twenty-four year old journalist in Vancouver at the time of the Komagata Maru, described Balwant Singh as a handsome, big man with a fine flowing black beard who spoke good English and who was a man of some erudition.He became a popular figure among the Indian community in Canada. He led the struggle for unjust immigration law of Canada.

In 1906, 90% of the immigrants in Canada and America were Sikhs. Very soon after their arrival in Canada, they built a Gurdwara in Vancouver. Luckily the Gurdwara Committee that came to manage this Gurdwara was headed by patriots like S. Bhag Singh and S. Balwant Singh. This Committee became very popular with Indians in Can­ada. Though it was called a Gurdwara Committee but it enjoyed the confidence of all Indians without reference to religion or creed because the Committee championed the civil rights of all Indians.
The first demand made by the committee concerned citizenship rights. They demanded Canadian citizenship. Since Canada was a British colony and as citizens of the Crown colony they had rights in India, similar rights must be extended to Indians in Canada. Their opponents spread a counter propaganda that these people had come to Canada in search of jobs only, they were only temporary residents and owned no property and hence were ineligible for Canadian citizenship.
The Committee met this challenge by its practical actions. The Indi­ans went on a buying spree and purchased real estate in and around Vancouver. They also succeeded in buying prime property near sea shore. In the meantime, quite a few Indians with entrepreneurial skills reached there. They bought a lock of stock in a mining concession and opened a number of hotels, restaurants and shops. The Indians were no longer only manual labourers; there were many who had acquired property and other interests in Canada.
Again, in the semi-liberated atmosphere of Canada, they were developing certain "nationalist" characteristics and started thinking collectively about their bondage under the British yoke. The British Government could not digest this political awakening. The worries of the British Government increased in proportion to the betterment in the condition of Indians. Tak­ing its cue from the policy of "divide and rule", the British Government deputed Hopkinson, an officer of the Secret Police, to Canada to keep a watch over the activities of the Indians. Hopkinson could understand and speak both Hindi and Punjabi. He managed to collect a group of traitors and informers from amongst the Punjabis around him. Bawa Singh and Bela Singh were the ringleaders of this group.

In 1907 Balwant Singh mate legendary Bengali revolutionary Taraknath Das. Taraknath moved to USA after Canada immigration hired British spy Hopkinson . Hopkinson's main duty was to keep an eye on revolutionary activities of Indians specially Taraknath Das.

Bhai Balwant Singh carried out an important role in building the first Gurdwara of North America in Vancouver. Inaugurated on 19 January 1908, Bhai Balwant Singh (with Bhag Singh )was designated the first Granthi of this Gurdwara. This Gurdwara was not a religious centre of Sikhs only, but was a centre of social and political activities of all the Indians. On the weekends, meetings concerning immigration, racialism and political issues were held there and Muslims and Hindus also join in it.
On 27 March 1907 a bill was passed denying all Indians the right to vote. They were prohibited to run for public office, serve on juries, and were not permitted to become accountants, lawyers or pharmacists. All this was done to stop the "brown Invasion."

In October-November of 1908, the Canada government built up a conspiracy to send all the Indians in Canada to Honduras, the British Colony in North America. The Canada government put utmost pressure on Indian migrants to leave Canada and go to Honduras. But Bhai Balwant Singh in support with Sant Teja Singh and Bhai Bhag Singh refused to submit before this proposal of the Canada government. In this way, Bhai Balwant Singh, in support with his companions, saved the Indian community from ruination.

In 1911 Balwant Singh came to India with Bhag Singh and Sunder Singh and toured India to tell the people about the difficulties in Canada and to bring their families. When they reached Hong Kong, all sailing companies refused to give them passage. Somehow they managed to purchase tickets for San Fran­cisco but the Americans did not allow them to alight. They were sent back to Hong Kong. They again tried to reach Canada and after protracted efforts and a year of struggle they managed to reach Canada in 1912. When they reached the Vancouver port, their families were refused permission to get down from the ship. Bhai Balwant Singh and Bhai Bhag Singh were allowed to disembark but their wives and children were put under detention. Both the families were got released on bail. However, the Immigration Authorities permitted both the families on 3rd June 1912 to live in Canada on mercy ground. Since the decision was from the Court, so the decision did not open the way for other families to come to Canada.
On August 28th, 1912 in Vancouver, BC. Bhai Balwant wife Mata Kartar kaur gave birth to a son. He was named Hardial Singh. Hardial Singh became the first Sikh born in Canada.

Ultimately their families were given provisional entry to Canada. But once in, they refused to leave Canada in any case, for which Balwant Singh, Bhag Singh, and his companions had to undergo great difficulties. After that Balwant Singh became an ardent freedom-fighter.

Meanwhile In USA - in 1911, the White labour resumed their attacks on Indians. By now, the Indians were politically awake. At many places they had organized themselves, procured arms and ammunition, and put up strong resistance. In 1912, at Portland, Hindustani (or Hindi) Association of the Pacific Coast was formed with Baba Sohan Singh Bhakna as its president and G.D. Kumar as the general secretary. The Association started a weekly, Hindustan, in Urdu. As Mr Kumar fell ill and could not cope up with the work, Lala Har Dayal was asked to take his place. The association during May 1913, at a largely attended meeting, decided to open a Gaddar Ashram also known as Yugantar Ashram, and also to form a Gaddar party with its headquarters at San Francisco and its branches at various places in the United States and Canada. The aim of the party was explained thus:

In March of 1913 he left Vancouver for England as one member of a three-person delegation from the Indian community in Canada to the imperial authorities, protesting Canada’s immigration rules and publicize the plight of their countrymen in Canada. His movements from this point on are worth tracking in detail because they eventually put him on the deck of the Komagata Maru, and ultimately led to his hanging in Lahore (on contradicted evidence that did not warrant the penalty imposed).
From England they proceeded to India via Paris. During the summer and autumn of 1913, they held many meetings throughout Punjab. Speaking aggressively against the policies of Canadian and British government towards Indians.
Though the delegates drew blank from both the Imperial and Indian Governments, they drew a full throttled response from the public at large in Punjab, so much so that Punjab Governor Sir Michel O’Dwyer have to warned them to stop speaking against British government.

Bhai Balwant Singh and his companions reached Shimla on 18 September 1913 and held a public meeting there. There they met Michael O’Dwyer, the Lt Governor of Punjab.”14 With absolute firmness and fearlessness, Bhai Balwant Singh put before O’Dwyer the problems of Indian migrants and asked him to do something. During this meeting with O’Dwyer, Bhai Balwant Singh talked with him while holding his head high and keeping eye to eye contact. Michael perhaps was seeing such a person first time. Bhai Balwant Singh had no inferiority complex and he had nothing to feel small before O’Dwyer. He rather felt fearful before Bhai Balwant Singh. O’Dwyer writes about Bhai Balwant Singh in his book: “. . . the way and style of this third man appeared like that of an inimitable revolutionary. They wanted to meet the Viceroy Hardinge. Sending them to the Viceroy, I asked the Viceroy to be specially cautious of the third man.” In Shimla, Bhai Balwant Singh met Viceroy Lord Hardinge also. But for showing his sympathy, Hardinge expressed helplessness.

O’Dwyer governor of Punjab wrote about this later: “. . .After a year when the storm of revolution rose in the state, then we realized that these three persons have been most ferociously but secretively spreading rebellion in Punjab”. O’Dwyer wrote further: “. . . Though we did not know at that time, but they were in reality the advance agents of Ghadar Party.”

Bhai Balwant Singh had suggested Harchand Singh Lyallpuri that the Sikhs living in India and abroad should form a joint body the head quarters of which shall be at Lahore. This body should bring out a newspaper. (And Master Sundar Singh companion of Harchand Singh Lyallpuri launched from Lahore on 21 May 1920 a daily newspaper, the Akali. The main objectives announced by the Akali were democratic control of Sikh shrines and of the Khalsa College, reconstruction of the demolished wall of Gurdwara Rikabganj, political and national awakening among the Sikh masses, and the establishment of a representative Sikh body based on democratic principles.
He also launched Hindustan Times from Delhi.)

Canada 1913 - After passengers of Panama Maru won in court, the Canadian Govern­ment made a legislation that the Indians had to sail directly from Indian ports to Canada without changing ships enroute. There was no ship line at that time that sail directly from India to Canada.

Bhai Balwant Singh while returning to Canada from India reached Hong Kong on April 9, 1914 a week after the famous Komagata Maru ship left, and he arrived at Moji in Japan on 19 April while the Komagata was still there.
Bhai Balvant Singh met Baba Gurdit Singh................ to be continued....