Toofan Singh

Jugraj Singh (1971 – 8 April 1990), better known as Toofan Singh, was a militant member of the Khalistan Liberation Force who was born in 1971 in Sri Hargobindpur, Punjab, India. According to police records, he was allegedly involved in 150 killings. He was killed in an encounter with police on 8 April 1990.

Early life Born in 1971 as Jugraj Singh in Cheema village of Punjab. He had 5 sisters and was the only son of his parents. He took amrit at 6 and would regularly read Gurbani and do Simran. He would read about Sikh history commonly and was known for being soft-spoken and well mannered.

Militancy In 1984, he was emotionally affected by the news of Operation Blue Star. He began to believe that he has to do something about the alleged atrocities against Sikhs. In his younger days, he spent some days in the Nabha Jail. In the jail, he met with Manbir Singh Chaheru and Baldev Singh. Baldev Singh told Jugraj that he should avoid getting into these fights since he is the only son of his family, however, Jugraj would not change his path.

In 1987 Toofan Singh broke out of Hoshiarpur Jail, In 1988 Gurjant Singh Budhsinghwala took over KLF. He made Toofan Singh Lieutenant General of KLF. He would later rise to Deputy Chief of KLF.

Toofan Singh was said to have provided protection to the villagers from attacks and extortion by criminal gangs, and the police. He was most active in the districts of Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Kapurthala, and Hoshiarpur.

Attacks on police At Sri Hargobindpur Toofan Singh and 5 others attacked a police party on 1 November 1988. In the attack 1 Sergeant was wounded, and 1 Constable was also wounded.

In December 1988, near Sri Hargobindpur, Toofan Singh and others attack SHO (Station House Officer) Swaran Singh and officers with him. No one was hurt in the attack.

On 16 November 1989, Toofan Singh, Sukhdev Singh Babbar, and other Kharkus of BKI and KLF claimed responsibility for killing a Congress Politician's gunman, a police sergeant, near Batala for killing Babbar Khalsa member Gurnam Singh in a false encounter.

On 16 November 1989, Toofan Singh, Sukhdev Singh Babbar, and other Kharkus of BKI and KLF claimed responsibility for attacking two police stations near Jhanda.

Various actions Toofan Singh killed a thief named Hari Singh and also killed another Balwinder Singh Billa who looted dead bodies near Sri Hargobindpur.

Death On 8 April 1990, Singh was killed in a village near Hargobindpur. His associate, Bakshish Singh, was also killed in the encounter. According to police records, he was allegedly involved in 150 killings.

In 2017, an Indian biographical film based on the life of Singh was released, titled Toofan Singh. The Indian Central Board of Film Certification later banned the film.