ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>AR&#362&#7770 SI&#7748GH SARD&#256R BAH&#256DUR SIR (1865-1926)</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="ARjZ,SIDGH,SARDR,BAHDUR,SIR,Person,Person"> <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279AR&#362&#7770 SI&#7748GH, SARD&#256R BAH&#256DUR SIR (1865-1926), <i>sarbar&#257h</i> (manager) of the principal Sikh shrines at Amritsar and Tarn T&#257ran from 1907 to 1920, much maligned for his role during the popular movement for reform in the management of Sikh shrines, came of a well-known Shergil family of Naushahr&#257 in Amritsar district, also called Naushahr&#257 Na&#7749gl&#299, to distinguish it from another village sharing the same name, Naushahr&#257 Pann&#363&#257&#7749, in the same district. His grandfather, Jass&#257 Si&#7749gh, had been for two years in charge of the Golden Temple under Lahi&#7751&#257 Si&#7749gh Maj&#299&#7789h&#299&#257. Ar&#363&#7771 Si&#7749gh was hardly four years old when his father, Harn&#257m Si&#7749gh, a deputy superintendent of police, died in 1868. Brought up under a court of wards and educated at Government High School, Amritsar, Ar&#363&#7771 Si&#7749gh came into full possession of his family estate in 1885. In 1888, he was made an honorary magistrate class II, with powers over 133 villages of Kath&#363 Na&#7749gal police circle. In 1907 he was made magistrate class I and a provincial <i>darb&#257r&#299</i> (courtier), and was also appointed by government <i>sarbar&#257h</i> in spite of the reformers' demand that the right to appoint the <i>sarbar&#257h</i> should vest in the Sikh community itself. It was bruited about that Ar&#363&#7771 Si&#7749gh had set apart for certain British officers valuable presents from the tosh&#257<u>kh</u>&#257n&#257 (treasury) of the Darb&#257r S&#257hib. An agitation was set afoot against him on this account. However, it came to nothing; likewise, later complaints laid against him of mismanagement and corruption in the <i>gurdw&#257r&#257s</i> under his charge were rejected.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Things came to a head when Ar&#363&#7771 Si&#7749gh and the priests of Sr&#299 Darb&#257r S&#257hib publicly honoured General Dyer, responsible for Jalli&#257&#7749v&#257l&#257 B&#257<u>gh</u> massacre in 1919. Demand for his removal as <i>sarbar&#257h </i>gathered momentum day by day. Ultimately, Ar&#363&#7771 Si&#7749gh bowed to the popular will. He not only resigned the office of <i>sarbar&#257h</i> but also tendered at a meeting at Jalli&#257&#7749v&#257l&#257 B&#257<u>gh</u> sometime during August 1920 a public apology for his acts of omission and commission relating to the management of the shrines under his charge. The government, however, in view of his loyal services, conferred on him a knighthood on the New Year Day of 1921. He had already been awarded a C. I. E. (Companion of the Indian Empire) in 1913; he now became Sard&#257r Sir Ar&#363&#7771 Si&#7749gh, K. C. I. E. (Knight Companion of the Indian Empire).</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ar&#363&#7771 Si&#7749gh died in 1926.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Griffin, Lepel, and C. F. Massy, <i>Chiefs and Families of Note in the Punjab</i>. Lahore, 1940<BR> <li class="C1"> Mohinder Singh, <i>The Akali Movement</i>. Delhi, 1978<BR> <li class="C1"> Dyer, R. E. H. , <i>Disturbances in the Punjab</i>. London, 1920<BR> <li class="C1"> Prat&#257p Si&#7749gh, Gi&#257n&#299, <i>Gurdw&#257r&#257 Sudh&#257r arth&#257t Ak&#257l&#299 Lahir</i>. Amritsar, 1975<BR> <li class="C1"> Josh, Sohan Si&#7749gh, <i>Ak&#257l&#299 Morchi&#257&#7749 da Itih&#257s</i>. Delhi, 1972<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Ian J. Kerr<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>