Was Sikh man shot dead by LA cops while performing ancient martial art ‘gatka’?

Was the Sikh man who are shot dead by Los Angeles Police performing the gatka?

That’s what some are wondering on social media after the police released bodycam footage of the incident. The shooting occurred on July 13. The victim, Gurpreet Singh, succumbed to his injuries four days later.

But what happened? Was Singh, 36 performing the gatka when he was shot dead?

Let’s take a closer look:

Gatka, a Sikh martial art

First let us take a brief look at the gatka.

It is a Sikh martial art that originated in Undivided Punjab. However, there remains some debate about how gatka came about as a martial arts. Some attribute it to Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh guru, who also introduced the kirpan for self-defence. Others say it was popularised by Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Sikh guru as a symbol of resistance against the oppressors.  However, some accounts suggest originated among the Muslims and that the gatka was made from the branch of a date tree.

It is traditionally performed by wielding a long, wooden stick known as Soti. The word gatka itself is derived from the Sanskrit word gatayas (motion). However, others say it is a derivative of the Persian word Khutka – meaning a “leather-covered club used in fencing.” In Punjabi, it refers to the stick used to practice and for combat. The fighting involves two or more practitioners who wield wooden sticks rather than swords. This is called Gatkabaazi or Gatkebaazi.

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In ancient times, it would be used by Sikh warriors to practice before they took up the sword or the kirpan. It was primarily a self-defensive art.

Gatka evolved into a sport in the late 19th Century. It is performed in two styles – Virasat (traditional) and Khed (sport). Gatka is played in both an attacking and defensive vein. First, one person attacks while the other opponent blocks. Then, the opponent counterattacks the first player. The gatka involves both players going into a series of maneuvers with intricate footwork. It is sometimes performed to the beat of a drum.

The sticks are between 91 and 107 centimetres long and around 13 millimeters thick. They are fitted with a leather hilt made up of multicoloured threads. It is paired with the ‘farri’ (also known as phari) which is a substitute for a shield. The ‘farri’, which is made of dry leather and is round, is packed with dry cotton or grass in order to protect the hands of the players.

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The gatka also takes place with other implements such as chakra (a round weapon with little wooden balls), tega (a long and broad sword), tabar (axe), guraj (mace), barchha (spear), and the khanda (double-edged sword). These are classified as mukata (thrown) or amukata (held) weapons.  However, the soti and farri and the kirpan and farri remain the most popular combinations.

The popularity of the gatka declined under the British who institute a ban on it along with the kirpan and the neja (javelin). However the art form continued to be performed at local akhadas across the country and was passed down from generation to generation.

Today, it is performed during Sikh festivals such as Baisakhi or Gurpurab or played as competitive sport. It saw somewhat of a resurgence after the International Gatka Federation was created in 1982. In India, groups such as Gatka Federation of India (GFI) and National Gatka Association of India (NGAI) brought some attention to it. It is now played as a competitive sport across India usually between two people.

Gatka isn’t just practiced in India. It is also performed in parts of Afghanistan – for example the Hazara in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – as well as by Trinidadians of Indian descent. Sadly, not much is known in the public about the artform.

In 2013, the state government of Punjab began offering a diploma course in gatka at the Punjabi University, Patiala.

What happened with Singh? Was he performing Gatka?

That remains unclear.

What we do know is that passers-by alerted police to the presence of a man, later identified as Singh, in the middle of South Figueroa Street and West Olympic Boulevard in Los Angeles.

Singh was said to be swinging a sword at passers-by. Police said Singh abandoned his car in the middle of the road and appeared to be waving the implement rather aggressively. He is even said to have cut his own tongue with it. Footage shows Singh appearing to pray before he begins waving the weapon around.

Police said they ordered Singh to drop the weapon. However, he refused to do so. Instead, he returned to his car retrieved a water bottle and threw it at the officers. Singh yet again return to his car and let the police on a brief chase. Singh during the incident was waving the weapon from the driver’s side window.

The LAPD said Singh drove “erratically and collided with an officer’s vehicle”. Singh then halted near Figueroa Street and 12th Street and got down from his vehicle. Police said he then charged them with the weapon which resulted in them opening fire. The offer source involved in the shooting were identified as IIs Michael Orozco and Nestor Espinoza Bojorquez. Singh then collapsed and was taken to the nearest hospital. Police said the weapon, a two-foot-long machete, was taken in as evidence.

“You can only give so many warnings,” Meghan Aguilar, a detective with LAPD, was quoted as saying.  Singh was treated for his injuries, however, he died in the hospital days later. The shooting remains under investigation.