Paan Singh Tomar: The Real ‘Baaghi’

You must have watched or at least heard about the film by the name ‘Paan Singh Tomar’. It is one of the widely-known representations of a dacoit who unleashed terror. Paan Singh Tomar was a contemporary of the infamous Gabbar Singh Gujar. While the beginnings of his story are different, the trajectory it picked up, was almost as terrifying as any other dacoit at the time.

Paan Singh Tomar, from an Athlete to a Dacoit

Paan Singh Tomar was born in a Rajput family in Bhidausa village of the Morena district, near the Chamber Valley. A region that was popular for housing some of the most dreaded dacoit gangs in India, including The Putali Gang, Mausi Gang, and even the gang of Gabbar Singh.

Paan Singh grew up to be a Subedar (Warrant Officer) in the Indian Army. Along with this, he was also an athlete and was known for his running capabilities since childhood. He was a seven-time national champion in Steeplechase. Not only this, but he also represented the country in the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan.

It is said that his running skills caught the eye of officers on the very first day when he joined the Bengal Engineers Regiment at Roorkee. Because of this, he was shifted to the sports wing and provided with a special diet. Thereafter, Tomar became a racing icon in his segment. To protect his life and sports career, he was barred to fight in the 1962 Sino-Indian War and the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965.

Then, what changed? What made this soldier and a promising athlete turn into a rebel, and go from law to outlaw?

Paan Singh had taken early retirement from the Indian Army in the year 1977. This is when he returned to his native village and things changed forever. There was a land dispute of about two and a half bigha of land between Tomar’s brother and cousin. When he returned to the village, he tried to get back this land that had been taken by his cousin through trickery. But when the Panchayat’s decision did not favour him, he decided to become an outlaw. He didn’t go to the police and took matters into his own hands.

After this day, the tables had turned. But what perhaps can be called the final straw, was when his cousin with his goons stormed into his house and assaulted his 95-year-old mother. As a result, he killed three of his cousins within the next few months. From this point onwards, he declared himself a Baaghi. Although he had already taken revenge on his rivals, he did not change his ways. He then delved into kidnapping well-to-do people and asked for hefty ransoms from their families.

Paan Singh Tomar’s life came to an end in the year 1981 when he, along with his gang, was killed in a 12-hour-long police encounter.

Tomar’s story is not a simple one. It is complex, yet fascinating. It makes one muddled about his character. One moment, you are proud of him, and the other, you see him as a dacoit- a person who was somehow led here by a twist of fate.