Sucha Soorma
| Sucha Soorma | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Sucha Singh Jawanda 1890/1891 |
| Died |
1911 Gheri |
| Cause of death | Hanged for Dacoity |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Other names |
Sucha Jawanda Sucha Soorma |
| Ethnicity | Jat |
| Known for | killing his sister-in-law and her lover to restore his family's honor and later becoming a Dacoit |
| Religion | Sikhism |
| Relatives |
Narain (Brother) Balbiro kaani(sister-in-law) |
Sucha Singh was a Punjabi legend who appeared in Punjabi Kisse folk legends. He who killed his cheating sister-in-law, Balbiro, and his best friend, as well as her lover, Khukkar. He later killed 9 others and ultimately died on the gallows.
Legend
Balbiro's wedding to Naraina
Balbir Kaur was married to Juaarh Singh in a village at the border of Patiala-Sangrur. She poisoned her husband when he failed to fulfill her expectations. She and her parents then welcomed other marriage proposals. Having heard about this invitation, Sucha Singh and Khukkar Mall went to see her and spoke to her on behalf of Sucha's elder brother Narain Singh. She accepted the offer under the conditions that they should bring her gifts such as jewelry at the wedding and give her freedom in terms of how to run the household.
Khukkar
According to legends, she was provided for within the limits of the time. As Sucha and Khukkar were very close friends they would often meet up at Sucha's residence. As Khukkar's visits became more frequent, he decided to propose to Balbiro. She hesitated because of Sucha but was attracted to Khukkar, who was a landlord and a wrestler. Khukkar suggested that he and Sucha should join the army in Multan.
Return
Biro’s husband wrote to Sucha explaining the situation to him. Sucha returned and called the village council, but Khukkar rejected his demands. In the meantime, Biro unsuccessfully tried to seduce Sucha for stopping him from taking extreme steps, even though the majority of the village was on Khukkar’s side.
Murder of Khukkar and Biro
Khukkar organized a wrestling match (akhara) and on this pretext called upon his various allies from other villages. When Biro was passing by and was named by Khukkar as his mistress, Sucha and his friends challenged Ghukkar and his allies. Sucha shot and killed Khukkar at point-blank range. Sucha then killed his sister-in-law, who had run home in the meantime.
Defending Hindus
Sucha resurfaced a year later. On his way to see his brother, he came across an old Hindu woman in tears, sitting outside her house in her village of Bargaadi near Kotkapura. She stated that some Muslims in the village had been ill-treating the Hindus, killing and butchering their (sacred) cattle. They then had a feast to eat the meat and forced the Hindus to join. Sucha was outraged. He found the offenders as they were about to kill another cow and unleashed a verbal barrage. Sucha killed five of them while others ran away.
Murder of Raaj Kaur and Gajjan Vaili
Later, Sucha joined a group of dacoits and ran wild. A widow and a mother of two sons, Raaj Kaur, in village Gehri in Bathinda, was seen in the company of Gajjan Vaili, a man from the same village. The paternal uncle, Ran Singh, conveyed a message to Sucha about his sister-in-law. Sucha responded and killed both Raaj Kaur and Gajjan Vaili.
Capture
Police arrested him in Kotshamir, a village close to Gehri, where he was convicted and executed in 1911