Jaswinder Singh Brar

Jaswinder Singh Brar was one of the twelve members of a sub-committee that the Shiromani Akali Dal appointed on 11 December 1972 to frame its programme and policies, and whose work became the Anandpur Sahib Resolution. The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism and Devinder Singh Duggal's booklet Anatomy of the Anandpur Sahib Resolution, published by the SGPC, both name him. Neither says anything else about him, and we found no other source that does.

The sub-committee: The Encyclopaedia says the Dal appointed it to reflect on the situation and renew its programme and policies. It met first at Amritsar, then at Chandigarh, where it finished its work in ten meetings, with Sardar Kapur Singh advising it. Duggal names Surjit Singh Barnala as chairman and says the sub-committee held eleven sittings, the first at Amritsar on 23 December 1972, took the views of doctors, lawyers, political thinkers and religious leaders, and drew up a unanimous report. The two sources differ on the number of meetings, ten against eleven. Both say the Dal's working committee adopted the report unanimously at Anandpur Sahib on 16 and 17 October 1973.

The twelve members, as Duggal lists them, were Surjit Singh Barnala, Gurcharan Singh Tohra, Jiwan Singh Umranangal, Gurmit Singh, Bhag Singh, Gian Singh Rarewala, Balwant Singh, Prem Singh Lalpura, Jaswinder Singh Brar, Major General Gurbakhsh Singh Badhni, Amar Singh Ambalvi and Dr Bhagat Singh.

Key moments

• 11 December 1972: the Akali Dal's working committee appoints the sub-committee.
• 23 December 1972: its first sitting, at Amritsar, according to Duggal.
• 16 and 17 October 1973: the working committee adopts its report at Anandpur Sahib.