Amritsar: The security has been beefed up outside Golden Temple in Amritsar in the wake of the 35th anniversary of Operation Blue Star on Thursday. Rapid Action Force companies and several companies of paramilitary forces have been deployed across the city to maintain law and order. The Indian Army carried out the Operation Blue Star between June 1 and June 8 in 1984. Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, ordered the military operation to flush out Sikh militants including Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who were accumulating weapons in Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple).<doc-sep>Delhi based journalist and author of several books including, “Sikhs: The Untold Agony of 1984”, remembers the human tragedy around the attack on Golden Temple. Sometime in the summer of 1984, Lt-Gen VK Nayar, known more popularly – like most officers in the defence forces – by his nickname Tubby, was driving home after spending a gruelling day in his office, putting in place a military operation that was sure to be exceedingly controversial. His mind wandered to the name which could be assigned, to the yet unnamed plan, which he was working on. At some point, while looking out of the window, his car crossed a mechanic’s shop who brought air conditioners and refrigerators back to life. The signboard of the shop was possibly sponsored – or he may have done it on his own to attract eyeballs in pre-market reforms India – by a leading brand which still survives in the post-liberalization era albeit as a laggard, called Blue Star. The General was sure that even if the name leaked out, no one would ever be able to connect a popular brand of cooling devices with the military operation the general was drawing up on paper. The senior officer was correct in his assessment and till a few years before he passed away, in December 2015, after a commendable career as a paratrooper, an infantryman, a counter-insurgency specialist, and an Army commander, no one came to know that the one of the most widely-known military operations was named after a manufacturer of home appliances. The Beginning of the End Within days, there was a hint of what was to come as the entire state of Punjab was placed under curfew. Although most of the cities and towns in the state were now somewhat used to the constant darkness throughout dusk to dawn and rushing back home became habit before the curfew was set in place, severe restrictions in all movements and disconnection of telephone throughout the state was a sign of something more foreboding around the corner. There was further evidence of ominous developments when the media was herded out from the eye of the gathering storm: Amritsar’s Golden Temple or Harmindar Sahib, the most important shrine of the Sikhs. Indira Gandhi was delusional; she did not have the political sagacity to understand what it meant to play with religious militancy, to counter influence a political rival. While considerable debate remains on various facets of the military strike on the Sikh temple and the political episode that necessitated it, there is no doubt that even before the last of the bodies were wheeled inside hospital morgues and the injured were discharged after their scars were taken care of, many a potential assassin would have steeled their resolves to kill the Indian premier who had euphemistically been called, by an adversary in the infancy of her tenure as prime minister, as the “only man in her cabinet.” Importance of Operation Blue Star in Indian Politics On another level, Operation Blue Star exists as a bookmark on the chapter of Indian politics in which the recurring theme is political incompetence. Bipan Chandra, India’s eminent but now deceased historian co-authored a book along with two colleagues that states that the Operation Blue Star “produced a deep sense of anger and outrage among Sikhs all over the country. It was seen by most of them as a sacrilege and an affront to the community, rather than a necessary-though- unpleasant effort.” Yet another scholar, much-maligned like Chandra and his colleagues as ‘leftists’ or Nehruvian historians, Ramchandra Guha wrote that Operation Blue Star “left a collective wound in the psyche of the Sikhs, a deep sense of suspicion of the government of India.” I argued in my book on the other dimension of the events of 1984 – the mass killing of Sikhs in New Delhi and several others cities in India after the assassination of Indira Gandhi, that Operation Blue Star “severely impacted even the so-called enlightened Sikhs”. On a third dimension, Operation Blue Star is an important anniversary every year; whether it is a watershed marker, as it was in the year 2014 marking the thirtieth anniversary of the Operation, or this year just as a ‘routine’ anniversary because it has been 34 years since the cruel and easily avoidable episode. The month of June every year is also an apt occasion to recall the exceptional military courage and daring of the soldiers, who were deployed in such a challenging situation by a set of bumbling generals, lulled into complacency purely on the basis of their fatigues. But before this story proceeds any further, it is necessary to underscore a poignant paradox: Despite the ‘Sikh anger’, which resulted in Operation Blue Star and the consequential assassination of Indira Gandhi, out of the three generals involved in Operation Blue Star, two were Sikhs — Lt. Gen. K.S. Brar and Lt. Gen. Ranjit Singh Dyal. Besides, Sikh soldiers who were part of the group briefed before the assault was given the liberty to opt-out of the Operation because it involved their temporal seat. However, no one did – an indication that Indian soldiers, like their peers in other nation, put nothing before their country. In a multi-religious country like India, this was particularly significant. It is a different matter to ponder over that if in contemporary India, military commanders would have the political courage to make a similar offer to soldiers from minority communities. In all probability, they would be excluded from the list of chosen combatants, if the target involved a religious shrine of the minorities. Read more: Operation Blue Star: When Sikhs were massacred by the Indian Army Indira Gandhi’s Political Maneuver Backfires The issue of constitutional accordance of rights to Sikhs was at the centre of the insurgency in Punjab and this dominated the discourse from the late-1970s to mid-1990s. To a considerable extent, turbulence set in during one of the murkiest phases in Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s political career.<doc-sep>SGPC task force members rough up youths who allegedly created a ruckus at the Golden Temple function on Wednesday. (Express photo by Rana Simranjit Singh) SGPC task force members rough up youths who allegedly created a ruckus at the Golden Temple function on Wednesday. (Express photo by Rana Simranjit Singh) Four unidentified men were allegedly beaten up the SGPC task force as Akal Takht observed the 34th anniversary of Operation Blue Star in Amritsar on Wednesday. Other than this incident, the event was largely peaceful with no clashes reported between the task force and the Sarbat Khalsa supporters as seen over the past few years. Jathedar Akal Takht Giani Gurbachan Singh delivered a message for community from Akal Takht and for the rival group Sarbat Khalsa, a speech was given by Simranjit Singh Mann inside the premises of Golden Temple. Sarbat Khalsa acting Akal Takht Jathedar Dhian Singh Mand couldn’t reach for the event as he was busy with his protest against an alleged desecration episode in Bargari town of Faridkot. Sarbat Khalsa supporters, however, also raised slogans to oppose Gaini Gurbachan Singh’s speech, in which he said: “We can neither forgive nor forget what happened in 1984. Before 1947, Congress leaders had promised Sikhs land where Sikhs would enjoy freedom. Contrary to the promise, Golden Temple and 37 other historical Gurdwaras were attacked in 1984.” He added, “Sikhs have been facing racial attacks in Shillong and other parts of India. Khalsas will face these challenges bravely.” He asked for the “pistol and the arrow of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale” to be returned back to the community. As the Jathedar delivered his speech, some Sikh activists hoisted Khalistan flags and raised pro-Khalistan slogans. Many were carrying posters of Sikh militant Jagtar Singh Hawara, who is also a Sarbat Khalsa appointed Akal Takht Jathedar. About the four persons who were thrashed with sticks with two among them detained for over two hours later, SGPC spokesperson Daljit Singh Bedi said: “Their activities were suspicious and we found that but had they were attempting to create disturbance. So we caught them and handed them over to the police.” SGPC president Gobind Singh Longowal said, “We are thankful to Sikh Sangat and Sikh bodies for maintaining peace during anniversary….There are, however, always some people who would intentionally create disturbance. We have caught some such persons this year too and handed them over to the police.” Police, however, said that it is investigating the matter. “No case has been registered so far,” said a police official who did not wish to be named. Indira statue installed at Cong office Meanwhile in Ludhiana, Youth Congress leader Vijay Agnihotri Goldy temporarily installed a statue of former PM Indira Gandhi at Ludhiana Congress Bhawan. The statue was brought inside in a quiet manner and installed with no senior leader of the party present. Congress Bhavan was locked soon after.<doc-sep>Security has been tightened outside Golden Temple in Amritsar in the wake of Operation Blue Star anniversary today. Photo: ANI Brandishing of swords and open use of sticks was witnessed on Wednesday during a ceremony to mark the 34th anniversary of the Army's 'Operation Blue Star' inside the Golden Temple complex. The clash between radical Sikh elements and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) took place right in front of the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikh religion. The incident took place just about 100 feet from the sanctum sanctorum 'Harmandir Sahib', the holiest of Sikh shrines located inside the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar. At least one person was injured as the SGPC task force members tried to prevent the radical elements from disturbing the ceremony. Video footage of the incident showed task force members attacking the radicals who were raising secessionist slogans. The radical elements raised pro-Khalistan (a separate Sikh homeland) and anti-India slogans. Police personnel, present inside the shrine complex in plainclothes, tried to control the situation from getting out of hand. "A turban was thrown on the ground in the clash," one eyewitness told news agency IANS. The SGPC officials said the situation was prevented from getting out of control due to swift action by the task force members. Akal Takht jathedar (chief) Gurbachan Singh said the ceremony was held "peacefully" as a remembrance of the sacrifice of hundreds of people who were killed during the Army's 'Operation Blue Star' in June 1984. The Army carried out the operation to flush out heavily armed militants and radicals from inside the shrine complex between June 1-10, 1984. Also read: Operation Blue Star: How Congress invented a saint WATCH | The untold story of Operation Blue Star<doc-sep>
Heavy security in Punjab in view of Operation Blue Star anniversary | Photo Credit: ANI Amritsar: Punjab is on alert on Wednesday in the wake of the 34th anniversary of Operation Blue Star. Security has been beefed up outside the Golden Temple or Harmandir Sahib, where the crackdown against the Khalistani terrorists took place in 1984. News agency ANI reported that the authorities have deployed several companies of paramilitary forces and Punjab Police across the Amritsar city to maintain law and order. Five companies of the Rapid Action Force have also been deployed to maintain calm. In total, some 3,200 police personnel are manning security around the temple complex. There is also heavy police presence at all the entry and exit points of the Amrtisar city including airport, railway station and city bypass. Vehicles entering the city are being checked to prevent entry of any miscreants. Further, leaves of police officers have been cancelled in view of the anniversary. No untoward incident has been reported so far from anywhere across the state. Ahead of the Operation Blue Star anniversary, the Punjab Police had arrested several suspects who were planning to cause communal disturbance in the state. Reports said these suspects were allegedly operating at the behest of their foreign-based handlers. Meanwhile, a radical outfit called Dal Khalsa yesterday carried out a parade in Amritsar against the Operation Blue Star. It may be recalled that in June 1984, the Army had conducted the Operation Blue Star to take out terrorists who were hiding inside the Golden Temple complex.