Bant Singh is a

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

labourer and singer from the Jhabhar village in

Mansa ''MANSA'' is a scale used to assess quality of life. Its name is short for ''Manchester, Short Assessment of Quality of Life''. It was developed by Priebe et al. References Notes References Further reading * * External links * {{Latin ...

district,

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, who has emerged as an agricultural labour activist, fighting against the power of the landowner.Amit Sengupta,
Untouchable India
, p. 82–84 in ''Index on Censorship'', Volume 35, Number 4 (2006). Described by Amit Sengupta as "an icon of

Dalit Dalit ( from meaning "broken/scattered") is a term used for untouchables and outcasts, who represented the lowest stratum of the castes in the Indian subcontinent. They are also called Harijans. Dalits were excluded from the fourfold var ...

resistance he has been active in organizing poor, agricultural workers, activism that continues despite a 2006 attack that cost him both of his lower arms and his left leg." After his minor daughter was raped by some powerful men in 2000, he dared take them to court, braving threats of violence and attempted bribes. The trial culminated in life sentences for three of the culprits in 2004, "the first time that a Dalit from the region who had complained against upper-caste violence had managed to secure a conviction."Annie Zaidi
Casteist Assault
, ''Frontline'' (India), Volume 23 – Issue 02, 28 Jan. – 10 Feb. 2006. Retrieved 13 June 2007. On the evening of 7 January 2006, Bant Singh was returning home through some wheat fields. He had just been campaigning for a national agricultural labour rally to be held in

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

in January. He was suddenly waylaid by a gang of seven men, suspected to be sent by Jaswant and Niranjan Singh, the current and former headmen of his village who have links with the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

party. One of them brandished a revolver to prevent any resistance while the other six set upon him with iron rods and axes beating him to a pulp. He was left for dead, and a phone call was made to Beant Singh, a leading man in Jhabhar, to pick up the dead body. However, Bant Singh was alive, though barely. He was first taken to civil hospital in

but was not given proper treatment there.Bant Singh Can Still Sing
''Word, Sound, and Power'', Video : Bant Singh Can Still Sing. Retrieved 1 October 2010. Then he was taken to the PGI at

Chandigarh Chandigarh is a city and union territory in northern India, serving as the shared capital of the states of Punjab and Haryana. Situated near the foothills of the Shivalik range of Himalayas, it borders Haryana to the east and Punjab in the ...

, where both lower arms and one leg had to be amputated since gangrene had set in by then, and his kidneys had collapsed due to blood loss. The doctor was eventually suspended for his conduct.Amit Sengupta,
Untouchable India
, p. 82–84 in ''Index on Censorship'', Volume 35, Number 4 (2006), p. 83, mentions the incident, the bribe demand, and the damage to his limbs, and the doctor's suspension His biography titled ''The Ballad of Bant Singh: A Qissa of Courage'', written by Nirupama Dutt was published in 2016. The story of Bant Singh was dramatised and featured on the hit TV show

Savdhaan India ''Savdhaan India – India Fights Back'' ( ''Attention India! – India Fights Back'') is an Indian Hindi-language crime currently broadcasting on Star Bharat. It was created by Ajit Thakur. The series is hosted by Ashutosh Rana, Tisca Chopra, ...

in its special edition of 100 Days 100 Fightbacks. Bant Singh was featured in 'Chords of Change' TV series and in a 2020 Tamil film '

Gypsy {{Infobox ethnic group , group = Romani people , image = , image_caption = , flag = Roma flag.svg , flag_caption = Romani flag created in 1933 and accepted at the 1971 World Romani Congress , po ...

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Bant Indian civil rights activists Living people People from Mansa district, India Activists from Punjab, India Caste-related violence in India Year of birth missing (living people) Aam Aadmi Party politicians from Punjab, India Dalit activists Punjabi Sikhs 21st-century Indian farmers