The sacrifice in Narrahee
In 1947, I was barely eight years old but even today, I can recall the ghastly riots I witnessed from the safety of the barricaded gurdwara in Kahuta, Rawalpindi. Marauding Muslim raiders looted, killed, plundered, pillaged, set houses and buildings on fire and abducted shrieking women. The hugely outnumbered and unarmed Sikhs and Hindus put up a brave defence, but it soon crumbled. Politicians had uncorked the genie of hate and it was uncontrollable now. There are conflicting reports about the number of people who died. The violence that erupted during transmigration saw the entire 35-mile stretch between Amritsar and Lahore littered with bodies on both sides of the road.
Capt Daler Khan understood the reason why 22 innocent lives had been extinguished. He sobbed uncontrollably, and vowed protection to the survivors. It’s been 75 years, but we’ve been unable to express gratitude to his family
This story is about the sacrifice of 22 brave women — some married, some unmarried — and the grit, determination and firm resolve on display that day. The story would be incomplete without a mention of the stellar role played by Capt Daler Khan.
Narrahee (later renamed Lehtrar) was a small and isolated village, now part of West Punjab in Pakistan, predominantly inhabited by Khatri and Sehajdhari Sikhs. A few Muslim families also lived in the village. There was great cordiality and brotherhood among all communities. Our family lived in Narrahee. My mother and Mamaji (maternal uncle) were born in Narrahee. It is with inputs from the diary maintained by my uncle that I am able to narrate this incident exactly as it happened. Invaluable inputs were given by other Narrahee survivors now settled in Nabha. These include Principal Gurbaksh Singh, Baldev Singh and the late Master Narain Singh.
Narrahee was 8-9 miles from Kahuta, the city where the Pakistan nuclear reactor is located. Kahuta is 18 miles from Rawalpindi, the city from where the first train to Amritsar with bodies of migrating Sikhs and Hindus arrived, leading to gruesome madness on both sides of the border.
On March 6, 1947, armed radical Muslims laid siege to Kahuta by beating drums and they looted, killed, abducted Sikh and Hindu women and set properties afire. Thereafter, the raiders advanced towards Narrahee. By evening, they had encircled the village. An attack by the heavily armed Muslims was imminent on the Sikh inhabitants, who had no weapons other than kirpans and a value system which was a combination of faith, izzat and a history of sacrifices.
The following day, the Muslim invaders took out a huge procession on the streets of Narrahee, threatening the inhabitants and asking the men to convert to Islam by doing khatna and nikah of women with the Muslim men, or face the consequences in case of refusal. The time given to decide was by 10 am on March 8.
There were 13-14 Gursikh families in Narrahee. Devout Sikhs, they collected in the village gurdwara and conferred among themselves and realised that the Muslims charged with hate were serious about their threat and there was no way out for them other than to face the wrath of the tormentors. A unanimous decision was arrived at by the members that no one — men, women or children — would panic, and would face the Muslims with confidence. Under no circumstances would anyone convert and there was no question of nikah of Sikh women. A determined and calm voice announced that all women — married and unmarried — would be sacrificed by their husbands or fathers before the arrival of the invaders. The men would fight as long as there was breath in them. Everyone present unanimously agreed with the plan.
On the morning of March 8, the sacrifice ceremony of 22 brave women of Narrahee began amid recitation of Gurbani. Nobody flinched, neither the women, nor the men. Ardas for peace to the departed souls was offered, and the men, with blood-stained kirpans, girded up to take on their tormentors. Loud jaikaras of ‘Bole so nihaal’ were answered by the now charging Muslim invaders with ‘Allah-hu-Akbar’. The advancing horde soon came in sight of human blood flowing like a stream and the blood-splattered bodies of the 22 women. The lust of the marauders melted away, they understood the mood of the Sikhs and lost their nerve and appetite for a fight, quickly withdrawing from the village.
It was at this stage that Capt Daler Khan, a veteran of World War II, arrived on the scene on horseback and with a gun slung over his shoulder. Capt Khan was a friend of the British and would organise shikar for them. He respected the Sikh community for its values. The knight in shining armour was late in coming. Had he arrived a little early, 22 lives might have been saved. His mere presence and reputation would have deterred the invaders from causing any harm to the small Sikh community of Narrahee.
Capt Khan understood the reason why 22 innocent lives had been extinguished. Overcome by grief and the enormity of the tragedy, he sobbed uncontrollably. He then read the fatiha for Allah to grant peace to the departed souls. He vowed that under his protection, the survivors of Narrahee would be safely escorted to Kahuta. Capt Khan helped the husbands and fathers of the deceased women to perform their last rites by collecting firewood. One by one, the bodies of the brave women were consigned to flames as per Sikh rituals.
As promised, on March 9, a proper protection plan was prepared by Capt Khan. A protection party of 15 armed men, led by Capt Khan on horseback, escorted the survivors of Narrahee to safety and brought them to the Dak Bungalow at Kahuta. He then took leave.
There is no parallel to the sacrifice of the 22 women of Narrahee who have remained unsung. Decades have passed since the happenings and we have not expressed gratitude to the family of the noble Capt Daler Khan.
— The writer is based in Mohali
