Paan Singh Tomar Age, Death, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Paan Singh Tomar

• Paan Singh Tomar (Indian athlete, military personnel) turned Baaghi (“rebel”) Most well-known is he for Being the national steeplechase champion seven times and representing India at 1958 Asian Games, held in Tokyo Japan

• He became a household name after the noted Bollywood actor, Irrfan Khan essayed his role in Tigmanshu Dhulia‘s eponymous film “Paan Singh Tomar” (2012).

• Paan Singh came from Morena District, close to the Chambal ravines. for nurturing various rebels and dacoits, back in the 1950s and ’60s. He grew up in the area where looting and killing were normal things, which can be understood from the fact that once when a judge asked a Chambal dacoit named Laxman Dixit, alias Lukka Daaku that how many persons he had killed, the dacoit replied –
  

  आपको याद रहता है आप महीने में कितनी चपाती खाते हो ?”

• The paternal grandfather of Paan Singh had two wives; the older one gave birth to Eshwari Singh (Pan Singh’s father) while the younger one gave birth to Dayaram (Paan Singh’s uncle). Dayaram went on to have five sons, including Jandel, Havaldar, and Babbu (Paan Singh’s cousin brothers) and nearly a dozen grandchildren. Babbu was an influential landlord, commanding a large family of 200 in Bhidosa village.

• Paan Singh has been a well-known figure since his childhood. for He was a great runner and was inducted into Indian Army.

• He joined the Indian Army in 1949 as a subedar (Warrant Officer) under the Bengal Engineers Regiment at Roorkee. It is said that on the very first day, he had an argument with an instructor who commanded him to run numerous laps of the parade ground as a punishment, and the punishment was turned out to be bliss in disguise; like his running skills caught the eye of officers, and they shifted Paan Singh to the sports wing where he was put on a special diet. Paan Singh became one of the most financially successful athletes in India’s Army. In addition to being a seven time national champion in steeplechase he represented India at 1958 Tokyo Asian Games.
  

  Paan Singh Tomar: A Very Rare Photo

• For his sports career, the Indian Army officials didn’t let him take part in the 1962 Sino-Indian War and Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.

• In 1972, Paan Singh’s sports career came to an end; a career that was full of remarkable achievements and records, including his 2,000 strides (as compared to the 2,500) for This steeplechase is still known for its 3,000-metre challenge.
  

  Paan Singh Tomar: A Very Rare Photo

• While serving the Indian Army as an athlete, he had become a running icon in his regiment, and the hostel warden would often awake the new inductees by saying –
  

  जागो, जागो पान सिंह साहब तो सहारनपुर से दौड़कर भी आ गए।”

• He loved to run so much, he often visited his village running.
  

• In an interview, his son, Souram Singh Tomar, shared an instance when he was sitting with his father, Paan Singh, on the banks of a canal in Roorkee, and he asked his father ‘How do you run? Saans nahin phoolti?’ And Paan Singh replied –
  

  साँस कहाँ फूलती है, भागने से साँस पक्की हो जाती है।”

• Paan Singh retired from the Indian Army in 1977 and went back to Bhidosa Village, Madhya Pradesh, where he was confronted with a land dispute. This dispute would eventually lead to the reigning king of the tracks to the top of the ravines.

• The land dispute was about two and a half bigha of land that Paan Singh’s older brother, Maatadeen, who was a ganja-lover and was just like the black sheep in the family, had mortgaged to his uncle Dayaram’s scion for The sum is Rs. 3, 000. Later, Dayaram’s sons; especially Babbu, made a stronghold over the land.

• Babbu, by the time Paan Sing returned to Bhidosa from his home village, was already a strongman. While talking about Babbu and his menfolk’s dominance in the village, Sahab Singh, the childhood friend of Paan Singh Tomar, once said,
  

  बहुमत उनका था, चलती इनकी थी।”

• When Paan Singh returned to his village and tried to get his land back from Babbu, a dispute ensued between Paan Singh and Babbu’s scion. A Panchayat was held under the supervision of Morena district collector who tried to make arbitration between the two parties; however, the decision didn’t go in Paan Singh’s favour. It’s said that from then onwards, Paan Singh never tried to approach police; instead, he became an outlaw and made the ravines of Chambal as the epicentre of his operations. According to reports, Paan Singh claimed that at this time,
  

  थाने में हाज़िर नहीं होंगे। गाँव में नहीं रह सकते। अब तो मरना और मारना है”

• During the active years of Paan Singh as a rebel in the ravines of Chambal, many other gangs were also active in the area, including the Mausi Gang, Putali Gang, and the band of Gabbar Singh Gurjar who is said to have inspired the cult movie Sholay.

• The rivalry between Paan Singh and Babbu’s gang became so intense that often they would get themselves engulfed in a fight or two. On 16 March 1979, when Paan Singh’s elder son, Hanumant was getting himself relieved in a field, Jandel (Babbu’s brother) and his men beat him. The enraged Hanumant took his family’s 12-bore and fired at a person called Jagannath. Paan Singh, sensing that there was a threat to his life, decided to run with his family, leaving behind Sarson, Arhar and Bajra as well as the crops and women of the village.

• Next day, Babbu and his menfolk attacked Paan Singh’s house where they injured his 95-year-old mother who was alone at that time in the house. His mother informed Paan Singh that, if he were her son true, he would take revenge on his house by morning.

• Paan Singh swore by his mother and within the next few months, he killed three of his cousins dead – Havaldar, Jandel Singh, and Babbu Singh.

• Birender Singh Tomar was the son of Jandel Singh. He described how Paan Singh had killed his father in an interview.
  

  Jandel Singh, my dad was tending to the fields using his tractor. Paan Singh fired four shots at him. He was using by. He was using a.303 stolen probably from the police. His older brother Havaldar Singh, who was in the field with his bullocks, was killed within an hour. The bullocks were with him this time. 315. Paan Singh gave us no time.”

• Paan Singh was chasing Babbu Singh as he tried to kill him. for long. Narrating the incident, Paan Singh’s son, Souram Singh says –
  

  Pitaji managed to catch Babbu at Lohri Ka Pura. He had been chasing him. for It was only a matter of few kilometers. He beat him easily. “

• However, on Babbu’s killing, Jandel Singh’s son, Birender Singh gives another theory, he says,
  

  बब्बू को दौड़ाकर गोली मारी पान सिंह ने, पीछे से। बब्बू निहत्था था।”

• Paan Singh, after shooting Babbu became a Baaghi. He started kidnapping influential people for ransom. Reportedly, he would often sign his ransom notes as –
  

  दस्युराज पान सिंह तोमर, चंबल का शेर”

• Maatadeen, Paan Singh’s elder brother was murdered in a police confrontation in 1977. This incident angered Paan Singh enough that he challenged Arjun Singh, then the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. He also killed nine Gujjar men from Pawa Paota. According to Paan Singh, the Gujjars were the informers who had given a tip-off to the police about Maatadeen’s whereabouts. It was so bizarre for Arjun Singh that he vowed –
  

  I will not light a lamp on Diwali until Paan Singh is caught.” ^[4]OPEN

• On 1 October 1981, Paan Singh Tomar and his ten menfolks were killed in a twelve-hour long police encounter at the Rathiankapura village; after a tip-off given by a villager named Motiram Jatav to the police. Motiram Jatav says –
  

  उस घटना के बाद किसी ठाकुर ने हमसे कभी बात नहीं की”

• The team that confronted Paan Singh Tomar’s men was led by Mahendra Pratap Singh Chauhan, Circle Inspector at Gohad Police Station, 50 km north of Gwalior. Reportedly, it was Chauhan’s bullet that proved to be fatal for Paan Singh. Chauhan later received the President’s Police Medal for On the Republic Day of India, 1984, KM Chandy (then Governor of Madhya Pradesh) displayed gallantry. After the release of Tigmanshu Dhulia‘s eponymous Bollywood film, Paan Singh Tomar in 2012, when Chauhan was asked if he would like to watch the film, he said,
  

  It’s a movie about a criminal, and I am sure it glorifies a killer. Why would I go to the theatre to watch such a movie?” he asks indignantly, “Paan Singh had a criminal bent of mind right from the beginning. I don’t care if he served the Army or won medals for The country. He was a killer and deserved a violent end.” ^[5]OPEN

• Legend has it that the day when Paan Singh was killed, he had been staying at Sarpanch’s house in Rathiankapur village and was unusually sluggish compared to other days. In the afternoon, when he was lying on a “chataai” on the floor with a megaphone (used by him to alert the villagers about his arrival) on his right and a loaded .303 gun on his left, Balwant (Paan Singh’s nephew) rushed to him around 5 pm and said,
  

  The dogs are here, must be six or seven of them.”

• Paan Singh wanted to run from his village. So he devised an escape plan.
  

  They won’t fire at cows if they are Hindu policemen.”

• The police surrounded Paan Singh’s menfolk. Paan Singh finally decided to flee. through the canal side of the village; however, Inspector Mahendra Pratap Singh Chauhan was vigilant in that area too. He said that Paan Singh made a mistake when he used his megaphone as a threat to the police after resounding rounds of gunfire.
  

  ये सूबेदार पान सिंह तोमर का गैंग है। तुम सब मारे जाओगे।”

• Police say that Paan Singh asked for help in the final hours of his life. for Water, he stated,
  

  I need water from my brothers policemen. Are you looking for a Thakur? Can you please give me some water?”

• When a policeman named Tribhuvan tried to offer him the water, Inspector Chauhan restrained him and said,
  

  Are you going where? Are you crazy? You’ll be shot. Like the police, dacoits have no caste.”

• Reportedly, the reason why Motiram Jatav, a lower caste villager, turned out to become an informer, was Paan Singh Tomar’s casteist approach towards the lower caste people. Motiram Jatav says that even after Paan Singh’s death, the upper caste Thakurs termed the village as –
  

  गद्दारों का गाँव”

  

  Motiram Jtav was the one who alerted police to Paan SinghTomar’s location

• According to Paan Singh’s close aides, he was a humorous and jolly person who loved to play cards, and his favourite card game was “Dehla Pakad.” ^[6]Patrika

• Paan Singh was fondly called “Chachaji” by his menfolk. ^[7]OPEN

• Police had a codename for Paan Singh Tomar’s gang – the ‘A10 Gang.’ ^[8]OPEN

• Paan Singh was rumored to have loved alcohol, but he didn’t drink excessively. Instead, he preferred to only consume one to two drinks per day. Sources claim that Paan Singh used to carry a small quantity of liquor with him. ^[9]The Times of India

• Ram Prasad Bismil, an Indian patriot belonged to Rugar Barbai village in Morena, near Paan Singh’s village.

• the noted Bollywood actor, Irrfan Khan, after essaying the role of Paan Singh in the 2012 Bollywood film “Paan Singh Tomar,” said,
  

  Every day, thousands of stories are told in India. These stories are fascinating, compelling, touching, emotional, heartbreaking, and captivating. I feel they should be brought to light in whatever form possible.” 

• Tigmanshu Dhulia who made the biopic on Paan Singh Tomar, first heard about Paan Singh Tomar’s story when he was working as the casting director for Shekhar Kapur‘s film, “Bandit Queen” (1994). Dhulia says,
  

  I think it will always be remembered as the first which brought faith in biopics.”

• According to his childhood friend, Sahab Singh, he was a short-tempered person and could hardly control his anger. Sahab Singh claims,
  

  आदमी हीरा था, गुस्सा आ गया और बागी बन गया। निशाना तो ऐसा बांधता था, गोली खाली नहीं जाती थी।”

• There’s a popular ballad about Paan Singh in the Bhind area of Madhya Pradesh –
  

  Like a mythical demigod emerging from the scarred earth, with his enormous stamina and steeplechase leap, Subedar Paan Singh Tomar of Bhidosa lives on in the Chambal, his strange legend as a champion athlete and dreaded killer within the same lifetime refusing to sleep.”