1984
Bhai Surjit Singh Ragi
Fell in the defence of the Harmandir Sahib and the Akal Takht, Amritsar, June 1984.
Born in 1958 in Balali, Haryana, he learned gurbani and kirtan under Sant Kartar Singh and Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and was known for the sweetness of his voice.
On the morning of 5 June he led Asa di Var at the Akal Takht as gunfire sounded outside. He was killed carrying ammunition to the defenders between 5 and 6 June.
Biography summarised from 1984tribute.com, based on information from families.
In the first week of June 1984 the Indian Army surrounded and attacked the Harmandir Sahib complex in Amritsar while it was full of pilgrims gathered for the martyrdom day of Guru Arjan. A few hundred Singhs under Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, Bhai Amrik Singh and General Shabeg Singh held the Akal Takht and the buildings around the sarovar against infantry, commandos and finally tanks.
The fighting ended on the morning of 6–7 June. The Akal Takht was left in ruins and the Sikh Reference Library burned. The Panth remembers those who fell in its defence as shaheeds, and their names are read at the Akal Takht each June.