Truth of so-called* *Damdami Taksaal* *(Jatha Bhindran-Mehta)*
                                                                                 (Part 1)
by Dr. Harjinder Singh Dilgeer*
The *Bhindranwalas* have their origin in Giani Sunder Singh (1883-1930) of Bhinder Kalan village (in Firozpur district). Sunder Singh was known as * Sri Maan 108 Giani Sunder Singh Nirmala ;** *he was a student of Pandit Jawala Das Udasi;[1] Giani Sunder Singh s mission was a combination of *Udasi* and*Nirmala* activities and they used the weapon of *khanday-di-pahul** *and series of *akhand path* to attract crowds of people; and they achieved tremendous success.
Giani Sunder Singh was succeeded by Giani Gurbachan Singh (1902-1961); now the *jatha* (which had come to be known as  Jatha Bhindran  because Giani Sunder Singh belonged to Bhinder Kalan village) was divided into two factions: one headed by Giani Kartar Singh and the other by Giani Mohan Singh;[2] Giani Kartar Singh (1932-1977) died in 1977 and was succeeded by Giani Jarnail Singh Bhindranwala[3] of Rode village (in Moga district).
* Clashes between the Nirankaris and the Bhindran-Jatha*
The clashes between Nirankaris and the Jatha Bhindran-Mehta began when (on the 13th of September 1973) the former began holding functions in the village of Chowk Mehta and the other areas which the Jatha Bhindran regarded its exclusive monopoly zone; hence the Jatha Bhindran considered the entry of the Nirankaris in that area as  pouncing upon its market  which would have meant losing some, if not several, followers and the Jatha declared it as an invasion.
The Jatha Bhindran-Mehta is an extension of the Udasi-Nirmala ideology which is a semi-Hindu Movement but as the field of functioning of this Jatha was the Sikh Homeland, like other Udasi-Nirmala * deras* they too used *akhand paths* of Guru Granth Sahib and *amrit parchars * (giving initiation) to attract people. They regarded Guru Granth Sahib as their Scripture but also gave equal, if not more, respect to the Hindu mythological books like Ramayana, Mahabharata and the so-called *dasamgranth * (90% of which is translation of Hindu fictional and mythological writings). The preachers of this Jatha, in their exegesis and discourses, use more from the Hindu fictional works than even Guru Granth Sahib; and, their religious, ritual and social practices are almost wholly Hindu in nature.
Professional and business interests, zonal monopoly and cult interests were the root cause of clashes between these two groups. Between 1973 and 1978 these clashes remained on very low scale; Giani Kartar Singh succeeded in using the SGPC to pass (on the 18th of November 1973) a resolution against the Nirankaris.[4]This resolution remained buried in the achieves of the SGPC and there was no follow up; but on the 13th of April 1978, when the Nirankaris held a function at Amritsar in the religious capital of the Sikh Homeland and it resulted into killing of 13 Sikhs by the Nirankari  army ,[5] the Jatha Bhindran - Nirankari dispute became a Sikh - Nirankari dispute.
At that time the Punjab was being ruled by the Akali Party under the chief minister ship of Parkash Singh Badal; the Congress Party cells among the Sikhs and the pro-Congress Indian Intelligence Agencies manoeuvred to provoke common Sikhs to create a Movement against the Nirankaris; they also began patting and promoting Jarnail Singh Bhindranwala though different sources. These Agencies had no grudge against the Nirankaris (rather they had been collaborating with them and had a soft corner for them) but their target was the Akali Government; neither Bhindranwala nor the Sikh elite could understand the game of the Intelligence Agencies.
  The acquittal of the Nirankari chief and all the 60 accused persons (in 1980), in the April 1978 murder case, became the starting point of the chapter of neo phase of militancy; now Bhindranwala and some other groups of Sikh radicals began thinking of planning to kill the Nirankari chief; though he could not achieve it but two individuals (Ranjit Singh and Kabal Singh) did accomplish it; Bhindranwala too had contributed to this militant action by providing Ranjit Singh a carbine to kill the Nirankari.
    Murder of Nirankari boosted the morale of the Sikhs, especially the Sikh youth and the Sikh elite, and with this began the militant movement (which engulfed the Sikh Homeland for the next fifteen years) and Bhindranwala had become the leader of this Movement.