In honour of the valour of the four “Sahibzadas” of Sikh spiritual leader Guru Gobind Singh who gained martyrdom in the 17th Century, notably his sons Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh who was purportedly executed by the Mughals on the then emperor Aurangzeb’s command, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had stated on 9 January 2022 that, from this year, December 26 will be marked as “Veer Bal Diwas”
According to a PMO announcement, the prime minister will likely take part in the events on Monday at the Major Dhyan Chand national stadium in Delhi.
History states that after Aurangzeb conquered Anandpur Sahib in modern-day Punjab in 1704, food supplies began to run low.
The Sikh’s only option to escape this predicament was to cede control of the Anandpur citadel. Guru Gobind Singh fled the city after caving up to the Mughals’ demands. They had not travelled very far, though, when the Mughals broke the truce and pursued them.
Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh, sons of Guru Gobind Singh, were taken captive and brought to Sirhind in the sight of nawab Wazir Khan, who asked that they convert to Islam in exchange for a safe journey. They both refused to comply with the requests and were supposedly bricked alive as a form of execution.
Today, the location of the brick-alive execution of Guru Gobind Singh’s sons is referred to as Fatehgarh Sahib.
