Desh ke itihaas me, 1987 ka woh din sab ko aaj bhi yaad hai. Unke haathon me guns aur talwaare thi. Sab police ki wardi pehne bus bank ke andar ghuste chale ja rahe the. Haathon me hathiyaar aur unke shareer pe Khaki colour ko dekh, log bhi hairaan the. Sabhi ko laga shaayad koi ghatna ghati hai. Warna itne hathiyaaron ke saath bhala police kyun bank me ghusegi. Par bank ke staffs ka yeh weham jald hi door ho gaya, jab hathiyaaron se bhare aur police ki wardi me ghuse woh log “Khalistan” ka naara lagane lage. Naaron(नारों) ko sun waha maujood har koi dar gaya aur unhe andar aane dene ke alawa, unke paas koi dusra option bhi nahi tha. Uss din bank me jitne bhi log maujood the, woh aaj bhi uss ghatna ko yaad kar thode seham jaate hai. Khalistani looteron ka uss din bank me ghusne ka sirf ek hi maksad tha “loote gaye paison se apni team ke liye hathiyaar khareedna.” Yeh din tha 12 February, 1987 ka, jab Punjab ke Ludhiana ke Miller ganj me based, Punjab National Bank me achanaak looteron ne dastak de di. Uss din aam dino ki tarah bank ko subah 9 baje khola gaya aur usi ke saath customers ka aana bhi shuru ho gaya. 9 se 9:15 ke beech Bank ke manager se lekar saara staff bank me aa chuka tha aur apne-apne kaamo me lag gaya tha. Tabhi 9:45 min pe kuch police waalen haathon me hathiyaar lekar, bank me bus ghuste chale aate hai. Log unhe dekh kar itne hairaan the, ki kisi ki himmat hi nahi hui ki woh police waalon se unke aane ka kaaran puche. Par logon ko yeh sawaal karne ki jarurat hi nahi padi, kyunki andar aane ke baad Police waalen apne haatho me bandook ko tight kar lete hai aur kehte hai “Koi apni jagah se nahi hilega…Agar koi hila toh goli maar di jaayegi.” Police waale aisa keh kar logon ko apni bandook dikha kar darate hai. Waha pe maujood log ab maamle ko thoda samjhne ki koshsih karte hai. Tabhi woh lootere “Khalistan” ka naara lagane lagte hai. Shaant maahaul me sirf khalistaniyon ke naare sunayi de rahe the. Ab logon ko pura yakeen ho gaya tha ki yeh log koi Police waalen nahi, balki khalistaani aatanki hai, jo bank se loote gaye paison se apne hathiyaar ka intezaam karne aaye hai. Saare log shaant hokar ek jagah khare ho jaate hai. Lootere bank ke staff ko darate aur dhamkate hai aur manager ko forcefully cash room tak chalne ko kehte hai. Bank me ek taraf purani currency thi toh dusri taraf naye notes the. Lootere jaldi-jaldi apne bag me naye notes ko bharna shuru kar dete hai. Jaldi-jaldi kareeb 30 min ke wakt me saare lootere bank se paison ko loot lete hai aur woh jis tractor se aaye, ussi tractor me paison se bhare bags ko load kar, mauke se faraar ho jaate hai. Jaate-jaate bhi lootere Khalistani naara lagate gaye. Ek baar jab looteren bank se faraar huye, tab jaakar logon ne saans li, kyunki jab tak lootere bank me the, waha maujood har insaan apni jagah pe apni dil ki dhadkan ko roke, ek statue ki tarah khada tha. Uss din PNB bank se 5 crore 70 lakh rupay loote gaye the. 1987 ke daur me itni rakam bahut jyada thi. Loote gaye paison me se kuch rupay RBI yaani ki “Reserve Bank Of India” ke bhi the. Iske alawa bank me 10 crore ki ek-dam newly printed currency thi, jise looteron ne haath tak nahi lagaya. Bank me ghuse inn looteron ke paas bhale hi hathiyaar maujood the, lekin unhone iska ek baar bhi istemaal nahi kiya, naa bank me kisi ka murder hua aur naa hi koi goli chali. Bus logon ko hathiyaar se dara kar loot ko anjaam diya gaya. 1987 se 2023 ko dekhe toh yeh loot kareeb 36 saal pehle hui thi. Uss dauran 5 crore rupayon ki bahut importance thi. Issi kaaran iss loot ko desh ki itihaas me sabse badi robbery maani jaati hai. Yeh loot itni badi thi ki ise “Limca book of world record” me bhi shaamil kiya gaya. Iss loot ko anjaam dene waale Khalistani the, jo Punjab me reh kar Khalistan ki maang kar rahe thr. Inn logon ka main motto hai desh se Punjab ko alag kar, sirf Sikh ke liye ek alag desh banana aur uska naam “Khalistan” rakhna. Khalistani chahte hai ki woh Bharat aur Pakistan me shaamil Punjab ko apne kabze me kar le aur ek alag desh ko janam de, jaha pe sirf Sikhs ho.
Iss loot ka mastermind “Labh Sing” tha. 1980s me Khalisthan ki maag joro pe thi aur issi daur me Labh Singh bhi Khalistan gang me shaamil hua tha. Labh Singh ka asli naam “Sukhdev Singh Dhillo” tha, jo pehle ek police constable tha. Lekin baad me woh Khalistani movement se jood gaya. Jab Sukhdev Khalistani gang se jooda, tabhi usne apna naam badal kar “Labh Singh” kar liya tha. Gang ke members ne Labh Singh ko gang ke liye paise jootane ka kaam diya tha. Issi kaaran Labh ne, PNB bank loot ko anjaam diya tha. 1987 ke iss bank loot me Labh Singh ke alawa Khalistani group ke 13 log shaamil the. Inn logon ne milkar plan banaya ki woh Miller Ganj branch ke PNB bank ko lootenge aur loote gaye paison se apne group ke liye hathiyaar khareedenge. Khalistani apne power ko banaye rakhne ke liye naye-naye hathiyaar khareedte the. Unke paas kayi saare AK-47 guns aur rifles thi, jinki keemat kaafi jyada thi. Issi kaaran Bank loot ko anjaam diya jaata tha, jisse yeh log apne group ko powerful banate the.
Bank loot ke baad PNB ke manager S.N Malhotra ne turant iss baare me police ko khabar ki. Manager ne police ko saari kahani batayi aur yeh bhi kaha ki, bank loot ko anjaam dene waale khud ko Khalistani bata rahe the. Police turant FIR darj kar, maamle ki jaanch karne ke liye nikal padi. Kaafi saalon tak iss maamle pe sunwayi hui tab jaakar sirf 67 lakh rupay baramad kiye gaye. Ghatna ke 25 saal baad yaani ki 2012 me, aaropiyon ko 10-10 saal ki saza sunayi gayi. Lekin looteron ne high Court ke iss faisle ko Supreme court me chunauti di, jiske baad criminals ko case se bari yaani ki free kar diya gaya. Wahi iss ghatna ke kuch saalon baad Labh Singh ki police encounter me maut ho gayi.
30 min ke iss loot ko yaad kar aaj bhi log dar jaate hai. Aaj bhi sab ke mann me yahi sawaal uthta hai “agar kisi ko kuch ho jaata toh…?” iss sawaal ko log apne aap se itne saalon baad bhi puch kar seham jaate hai.
Toh yeh thi desh ke itihaas ki badi bank robbery ki kahani. Dhoom-4 ki story line inn jaisi robberies se li jaa sakti hai. Lekin yeh bhi sach hai ki kahani puri tarah khalistaniyon pe based nahi ho sakti, kyunki phir yeh kaafi jyada controversial ho jaayegi aur aisa Dhoom ke makers kabhi nahi chahege.
Toh aaj ke liye bus itna hi. Lekin aapko yeh kahani kaisi lagi yeh hume comment section me batatna naa bhule dhanyawaad.
The End