President of the SGPC in the keys agitation; 1868-1963
Baba Kharak Singh
Baba Kharak Singh, a Sialkot graduate, became SGPC president in 1921 and led the campaign to recover the keys of the Golden Temple treasury. He spent years in jail and remained a strong voice for Indian unity, opposing both Pakistan and the Azad Punjab scheme.
Life
Born at Sialkot on 6 June 1868, he was among the first graduates of Panjab University in 1889. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre drew him into politics, and he was elected president of the Central Sikh League in 1920.[EoS]
The keys and prison
The keys were handed to him in January 1922. In April 1922 he was sentenced for making kirpans and for his speeches, and at Dera Ghazi Khan he stripped to his drawers in protest against the removal of Sikh turbans. He was released on 4 June 1927. He opposed the Nehru Report and the Communal Award, and passed away in Delhi on 6 October 1963.[EoS]
Images
Baba Kharak Singh after his release from jail in January 1942. Published in a commemoration volume for his 86th birthday in 1954.
Unknown photographer, January 1942. Public domain. Source
