PANJAB SINGH, RISALDAR MAJOR

PANJAB SINGH, RISALDAR MAJOR

PANJAB SINGH, RISALDAR MAJOR (d. 1869), soldier in the Sikh army and, upon the occupation of the Punjab in 1849, in the army of the British, was the grandson of Jodh Singh (d. 1837), a jdgirddr or feudatory of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, and the grandfather of Sardar Sir Jogendra Singh (1877-1946), who became famous as a writer and statesman. He was born the son of Gurmukh Singh at Rasulpur, in present day Amritsar district, in the first decade of the nineteenth century. Panjab Singh joined the ghorcharhds or irregular cavalry of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1834.

After the annexation of the Punjab to British dominions and the consequent dissolution of the Sikh army, he was enlisted, on 4 May 1849, in the newly raised 2nd Punjab Cavalry, and promoted Naib Risaldar on 1 June 1849 and Risaldar on 21 January 1857. He took part in British operations in 1857 for the relief of Delhi, Lucknow and several other places. He was decorated with the 2nd class Order of British India and the title of “Bahadoor” on 7 June 1858 and promoted Risaldar Major. In January 1859, he was appointed commandant of the 5th Regiment of the Mounted Police, Oudh (now eastern Uttar Pradesh).

Early in 1861, he was invited to join, on transfer from the 2nd Punjab Cavalry, the Central India Horse, a cavalry corps responsible for law and order in that part of the country.He joined the 2nd Regiment of the Central India Horse as Risaldar Major on 15 February 1861. On 15 February 1869, he was awarded the 1st class Order of British India, with the title of “Sirdar Bahadoor”. He also received, as a reward for his services during the 1857 uprising, a grant of land worth about 4,000 rupees per annum in the Khen district of Oudh. In the Punjab he was given an estate of 700 acres in Rakkh Sukkarchakk, Amrilsar district, against an annual payment of 584 rupees. Panjab Singh died at Rasulpur in December 1869.

References :

1. Griffin, Lepel, and C.F. Massy, Chiefs and Families of Note in the Punjab. Lahore, 1909
2. Prem Singh, Baba, Khalsd Raj de Usraiyye. Ludhiana, n.d.

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