Quick Facts
Biography
Jagtar Singh Hawara (Punjabi: ਜਗਤਾਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਹਵਾਰਾ) born (16 May 1973) isthe 31st Jathedar of Akal Takht, the highest spokesman of the Sikh community. He was appointed by a Sarbat Khalsa organised by Sikh organisations on 10 November 2015. Hawara is a member of Babbar Khalsa and was convicted as a conspirator in the assassination of 12th Chief Minister of Punjab, Beant Singh.
Early life
Jagtar Singh Hawara was born on 16 May 1973, at Hawara, a small village in Fatehgarh Sahib, Panjab. His father died in 1991. His mother's name is Narinder Kaur. He played hockey as a teenager in college./
Criminal record
Murder accusations
He also was accused of killing special police officer Sunil Kumar at Shaheedi Jor Mela at Chamkaur Sahib on 21 December 1992. However he was acquitted of the charge in February 2017.
Assassination of 12th Chief Minister of Punjab
Hawara was implicated in the assassination of 12th Chief Minister of Punjab, Beant Singh. On 31 August 1995, Dilawar Singh Babbar, a human bomb assassinated Beant Singh by blowing up his bullet-proof car at the Punjab and Haryana Civil Secretariat, Chandigarh.
2004 Burail jailbreak
In 2004, Hawara came back into the limelight when he escaped from maximum security jail at Burail, along with two other Sikh prisoners by digging a 90 feet tunnel with his bare hands.
Appointed as the Jathedar of Akal Takht by Sarbat Khalsa
On 10 November 2015, Jagtar Singh Hawara was declared to be replacing Gurbachan Singh as the interim Jathedar of Akal Takht by a Sarbat Khalsa organised at Chabba village on the outskirts of Amritsar, Punjab by some Sikh organisations. It also declared Dhian Singh Mand as an interim Jathedar of Akal Takht. It demanded all the current Jathedars including Gurbachan Singh be removed. The SGPC president at that time, Avtar Singh Makkar, however condemned the convening as against the principles of Sikhism and its decisions were null and void. He added that the removal of jathedars came under Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925 and no one could challenge the SGPC's authority.
Personal life
In 2005, Hawara married Balwinder Kaur, daughter of Dara Singh at a Gurdwara in village Dohla. On 3 March 2006, Balwinder Kaur's petition for annulment of marriage was a adjourned. Kaur claimed to had stayed with Sahib Singh (alias of Hawara) for just 11 days, after which she was dropped off at her parents’ house where Hawara stayed for a day.