ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>MOHAN SI&#7748GH N&#256GOKE JATHED&#256R (1898-1969)</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="MOHAN,SIDGH,NGOKE,JATHEDR,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">&#65279MOHAN SI&#7748GH N&#256GOKE, JATHED&#256R (1898-1969), Ak&#257l&#299 politician and Jathed&#257r of the Ak&#257l Ta<u>kh</u>t from 1935 to 1948, was born at the village of N&#257goke, in Amritsar district, on 25 December 1989. His father, Tahil Si&#7749gh, was a farmer of modest means, one of whose ancestors had been a soldier in General Ventura's regiment in the time of Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh. Mohan Si&#7749gh had his early schooling in his village and later joined <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 Collegiate School at Amritsar from where he passed his matriculation examination in 1918. He took up service as a clerk in the office of the deputy commissioner of Amritsar, but the Jalli&#257&#7749v&#257l&#257 B&#257<u>gh</u> massacre proved a turning point in his career. He registered his protest by coming to the office the following morning in a black turban, with a <i>kirp&#257n</i> slung across his shoulder. This was objected to by his superiors, but he preferred to leave government service to giving up his black turban and <i>kirp&#257n</i>. He joined the first <i>jath&#257</i> of Ak&#257l&#299 volunteers marching in February 1924 to Jaito, in the princely state of N&#257bh&#257. In the firing upon the Ak&#257l&#299s at Jaito, on 21 February 1924, Mohan Si&#7749gh had his thigh torn with a bullet shot. He was picked up and brought back to Amritsar, but as soon as his wound was healed, he again volunteered to go to Jaito. On his insistence he was included in the fourth <i>jath&#257</i> which was put under arrest as it reached the town. Mohan Si&#7749gh remained in jail from 18 April 1924 to 27 July 1925. In 1926, he was appointed a superintendent in the office of the Shiroman&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257 Parbandhak Committee at Amritsar. He rose to be M&#299t (assistant) Jathed&#257r of the Ak&#257l Ta<u>kh</u>t in 1931, becoming a full Jathed&#257r four years later. He held this office until 1948. As Jathed&#257r of the Ak&#257l Ta<u>kh</u>t, he led the third <i>jath&#257</i> comprising 25 volunteers which started on foot on 10 January 1936 from Amritsar in connection with the <i>morch&#257</i> or campaign for securing Sikhs the right to carry the <i>kirp&#257n</i> as their religious symbol, and was arrested on 17 January 1936. From 1944-48, he was president of the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257 Parbandhak Committee. As president of the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Committee, Jathed&#257r Mohan Si&#7749gh gave special attention to bringing symmetry to the Golden Temple surroundings. To this end, old private houses, were acquired and demolished along with some of those owned by the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Committee. New construction was undertaken according to a set design. In this process the <i>parikram&#257</i> or passage around the Golden Temple was considerably widened setting off the central shrine and bringing an open view to it.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Upon the partition of the Punjab in 1947, Jathed&#257r Mohan Si&#7749gh was nominated a member of the board set up by the Punjab government for the rehabilitation of displaced persons. In 1952, he was elected to the Punjab Legislative Assembly as a nominee of the Indian National Congress. From 1958-63, he served as a member of the Punjab Subordinate Services Selection Board. He was again elected to the Punjab Legislative Assembly in 1967.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Jathed&#257r Mohan Si&#7749gh N&#257goke died on 2 March 1969 in Amritsar after a prolonged illness.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Prat&#257p Si&#7749gh, Gi&#257n&#299, <i> Ak&#257l&#299 Lahir de Mah&#257n Net&#257 </i>. Amritsar, 1976<BR> <li class="C1"> Mohinder Singh, <i> The Akali Movement </i>. Delhi, 1978<BR> <li class="C1"><i>The Daily Aj&#299t</i>. 2 March 1983<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Part&#257p Si&#7749gh Gill<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>