Operation Blue Star - June 1, 1984 and ended on June 10, 1984. (32 years ago) Genesis of the problem

Dear Friends,

I have given below a write up of this terrible massacre that took place.  It could have been avoided if the then politicians wanted to. Then again the ego and attitude walks in.

I was not in the country when this occurred but incidentally returned from abroad on the day Indira Gandhi was assassinated and me and my small children could not leave the airport.  We had to spend the night in the airport and left for home before dawn thinking that rioters may be off the roads for a while.  But seeing all the damages done by them was really heart breaking.

I am sure many of us must have lost our near and dear ones and of course the innocent ones in this massacre.  It is a really sad and an unbearable feeling which takes years to forget.  It is not easy.  I can understand your feelings.

Pul chuk maaf karna ji.  Satnam Sri Waheguruji

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Operation Blue Star - June 1, 1984 and ended on June 10, 1984. (32 years ago)

Genesis of the problem

1. Khalistan movement

Like in many states in India, there were a group of extremists in Punjab who demanded a separate nation of Khalistan for the Sikhs. Given the lack of support among the majority, the idea was dormant until the late 1970s. During the 1950s and 60s, the government at the center completely reorganized India on linguistic lines to help release some pressure and curtail demands of Independence.

In 1966 a separate state for the Sikhs was formed (although close to a half of the population are non-Sikhs). Since then, the Congress party has been losing ground to the Sikh nationalist party of Akali Dal.

2. India's Emergency (1975-77)

In 1975, India's Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a national emergency, severely curtailing democracy. In 1977 there was a massive wave against Indira Gandhi and her Congress party. She was overthrown from most of India. In Punjab, her staunch enemies - Akali Dal formed an alliance with the rebel Janata Dal to be a part of the ruling coalition in Delhi.

Congress was furious and plotted a way to get back. In Punjab, Sanjay Gandhi (Indira's son) and Zail Singh (later Indian President) went shopping for a Sikh religious leader who would undermine the religious authority of the Akali Dal.  Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.

Bhindranwale was a Sikh religious leader who advocated more orthodox rules. He was discovered by Sanjay Gandhi and Zail Singh and was brought to the center of the attention. In 1977 he was elected to the leadership of a prestigious Sikh religious school, with the blessing of the Congress.

Operation Bluestar

1. Promises Broken

When  the Constitution Act of India was declared in 1950, it declared Sikhism to be “a sect of Hinduism” and offered no safeguards to the Sikh community. Both Sikh members of the Constituent Assembly refused to sign  the document. They declared vehemently that: “The Sikhs do not accept  this Constitution. The Sikhs reject this Constitution Act.”

"No  Constitution would be acceptable to the Congress which did not satisfy  the Sikhs." "The brave  Sikhs of Punjab are entitled to special consideration. I see nothing  wrong in an area and a set up in the North wherein the Sikhs can also  experience the glow of freedom. (Jawaharlal Nehru, Congress meeting:  Calcutta - July, 1944) "

When  in 1954 Jawaharlal Nehru was reminded of the solemn promises made to  Sikhs and other minorities by the Hindu-dominated Congress party, he  replied, “The circumstances have now changed.”

2. Linguistic states and Punjabi suba

In December 1953, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru appointed the States Reorganisation Commission to prepare for the creation of states on linguistic lines , Maharashtra based on Marathi ,Gujarat based on  Gujarati but no state of Punjabi was to be formed /reorganised based on  the Punjabi as its language .This led to widespread discontentment  among the Sikhs and Punjabis.  During this time J L Nehru asked Hukam Singh speaker of Lok Sabha if he supports the concept of linguistic states. To this he replied that he does not support the concept of  linguistic states but if you go for creating linguistic states based on other languages then I will support the creation of a state based on  Punjab.

So when plebiscite for creation of new state was conducted most of the  Punjabi speaking Hindus of present day Haryana and Himachal wrote their mother tongue as Hindi and not Punjabi. The Akal Takht  played a vital role in organizing Sikhs to campaign for the Punjabi  suba. During the course of the campaign, twelve thousand Sikhs were arrested for their peaceful demonstrations in 1955 and twenty-six  thousand in 1960-61.

What was Operation Blue Star?

Operation Blue Star was a military operation which was ordered by Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister, to remove Sikh militants who were amassing weapons in the Golden Temple in Amritsar, in order to establish control over it. The operation was launched in response to deterioration of law and order in Punjab.

Where did it all start?

The roots of Operation Blue Star can be traced from the Khalistan Movement. The Khalistan Movement was a political Sikh nationalist movement that wanted to create an independent state for Sikh people, inside the current North-Western Republic of India.

Leader of Khalistan movement Mr. Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale had a heavy influence on the Sikh youth in Punjab during this time as the leader of the Taksal. He propagated original values of Sikhism and persuaded people to follow the rules and tenets of the religion. He was widely perceived to be a supporter for the creation of a proposed Sikhism-based theocratic state of Khalistan. The main motive of Operation Blue Star was to eliminate him along with other Sikh militants and regain control over the Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar.

The Operation:

Operation Blue Star had two components to it. The first one was Operation Metal, which was confined to the Golden Temple complex. Operation Metal was followed by Operation Shop. It raided the Punjab countryside, in order to capture any suspects. Operation Woodrose, the second component, was launched throughout Punjab. The operation was carried out by Indian Army, using tanks, artillery, helicopters and armored vehicles.  

The entire operation lasted for ten days. It started on June 1, 1984 and ended on June 10, 1984. (32 years ago).

Media Blackout:

During the Operation Blue Star, the media in punjab faced a blackout. Journalists were reportedly were put in a military bus and abandoned at the border of Haryana. In that period, Punjab faced a curfew and there was no transportation across the state.

Assassination of Indira Gandhi:

Assassination of Indira Gandhi was the most notable event related to the Operation Blue Star. Indira Gandhi was assassinated on October 31, 1984, four months after the Operation Blue Star. She was shot dead by two of her Sikh bodyguards, Satwant Singh and Beant Singh. 33 rounds of bullets were fired on Indira Gandhi. The primary reason for the assassination is the Operation Blue Star, which was ordered by her.

Anti-Sikh Riots:

Assassination of Indira Gandhi led to the Anti-Sikh Riots across India. After the assassination of Indira Gandhi on October 31 1984, anti-Sikh riots took place on 1 November 1984. It continued for a few days, which killed more than 3,000 Sikhs. The worst affected areas were Sultanpuri, Mangolpuri, Trilokpuri, and other Trans-Yamuna areas of Delhi.

Sant Bhindranwale

Out of those sikhs, which were jailed, one of them was sant Bhindranwale. At that time he was a very kind and a gentleman. If you insulted his religion, at most he would ignore you. Then central government started killing Sikhs and Hindu population in Punjab and it was projected in a way that Sikhs are killing Hindus for separate Sikh state (Khalistan) . However, Sikh community is one which has faced lots of troubles in past and have given most sacrifices for the wars which India had fought (including British India).

Attack on Darbar Sahib (Biggest blunder in  History of India)

Darbar Sahib, commonly known as Golden Temple is the holiest place for Sikhism. Inside the complex, there is Akal Takhat (Political Headquarters of Sikh Community).

This Complex was now controlled by Sant Bhindranwale and he was inside the Akal Takht as religious leader of Sikhs.  Now with lots of power, he now himself stood against central government and demanded separate Sikh state.

Indira Gandhi then ordered Indian army to attack Darbar Sahib on the day when people were gathered for shahidi  Gurpurab of Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji.

Form 1st June, 1984 - 3rd June, 1984; complete curfew was observed with Indian army and paramilitary forces. The army sealed whole complex and attacked almost all gurudwara surrounding darbar sahib.

4th, June 1984:  Akali leaders Prakash Singh Badal and Gurcharan Singh Tohra went inside the complex and started negotiating with Bhindranwale to surrender himself and protect the most sacred place from turning into Battleground. However, Sant Bhindranwale refused to do so.

5th June, 1984: Shelling started on the building inside the Darbar Sahib complex. The 9th division launched a frontal attack on the Akal Takht. Indian Army attacked Darbar Sahib with machine guns and semi-automatic guns.

6th June, 1984: Vijayanta tanks were introduced inside the complex and shed Akal takhat. After that, Army gained full control over Darbar Sahib complex.

Was it required?:

This was done to gain Hindu votes and Indira Gandhi was like-"sikhs are great threat to hindus and this nation and now I have taught them a lesson."

If water and food supply could be stopped for few days, Bhindranwale and his 200 followers would automatically come and surrender.

Assassination of Indira Gandhi :

Indira Gandhi appointed two sikhs as her bodyguards after pressure from international organisations and to show everyone that how secular she is. But on 31st October, 1984, Indira Gandhi was assassinated by one of her bodyguards.  

Anti-sikh riots:

The 1984 anti-Sikh riots or the 1984 genocide of Sikhs was a program directed against Sikhs in India, by anti-Sikh mobs, most notably by members of the Congress party, in response to the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. Various Sikhs in Delhi and Punjab were killed . Sikhs were declared as terrorists by central agencies. Anyone who was seen wearing  turban was beaten and killed.

In June 1984, the Indian Government sent nearly a quarter million troops to Punjab, sealed the state from the rest of the world, and launched an attack, code-named 'Operation Blue Star', on the Darbar Sahib complex in Amritsar and over forty other gurdwaras in Punjab.

Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, head of the Damdami Taksaal, and many students and teachers belonging  to the Taksaal, was perished in the conflict. Several thousand men, women and children, mostly innocent pilgrims, also lost their lives in that attack.

As a Sikh I feel that the Indian Government is always facing difficult siege attacks, and had enough experience, resources and Goodwill amongst Sikhs to have found an easier way out. They should have handled the matter more sensitively. The Congress should not have ordered the invasion, they should have found a better way out.

ASSASSINATION OF INDIRA GANDHI

Indira Gandhi was assassinated because Sikhs felt she should not have invaded the Gurdwara but negotiated a settlement. Hindu thugs led by the criminal, Rajiv Gandhi's implicit orders went on a pogrom and killed 3000 sikhs in return

The criminal Rajiv Gandhi then said ' When a big tree falls, the ground will shake ' Nobody should ever forget this one statement. But its time to forgive and forget all else......... Rajiv Gandhi is NOT india. The people who killed Sikhs do NOT represent India. The politicians of the congress who did not care about Sikh bodies on the roads do NOT represent the Hindu community

What I am repeating is that the primary tragedy is death. What I am stating is that there are still, today, thousands of Hindu widows, daughters, mothers crying the same way as there are Sikh widows, mothers and daughters. Both sides were wrong

PEOPLE OF INDIA MUST STICK TOGETHER - But Sikhs got justice from the PUCL and PUDR, all of whom were Hindus. Hindus went overboard screaming for justice for Sikhs. We Sikhs have got a very good deal in India, we are first class citizens, a thriving successful community. We are not minority or majority - we are mainstream. WE are India.

Operation Bluestar still touches a raw nerve in India and abroad. On September 30, 2012, four Sikh youths attempted to murder retired Lt-Gen Kuldip Singh Brar on London's Oxford Street. Brar, who led Bluestar, and a frequent visitor to London, survived. Two of his attackers were handed down a 14-year sentence in December last year. The new revelations about a possible British role in the build-up to Bluestar have already inflamed passions. Brar calls reports of sas involvement in Bluestar "utter nonsense".

At the Golden Temple after Bluestar

Parsan Narang
10th June 2016