Golden Temple Edit

The militants were able to claim safe haven in the most sacred place for the Sikhs due to the whole or partial support received by them from key Sikh religious leaders and institutions such as the SGPC, AISSF and Jathedar (head) of the Akal Takht. The support was either voluntary or forced by using violence or threat of violence.[25] Several religious leaders who spoke against the occupation of Akal Takht were murdered by followers of Bhindranwale.[26] The Golden Temple complex afforded the militants based inside a facade of fighting a "holy war". It also gave them access to new potential recruits from among the visitors. Several multi-storied buildings were located on the Parikrama (walkway) around the reservoir of the temple, providing rooms and offices which were taken over by the militants. The temple complex also offered logistical advantage to the militants with easy access to food, water and communication lines. Further, the sanctity of the Golden temple provided protection from arrests by the security forces, who avoided entering the Temple premises so as not to offend the religious sentiments of the Sikhs.[25]

Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in Harmandir Sahib Edit

Negotiations Edit

In January 1984, India's secret service Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) prepared a covert plan codenamed Operation Sundown involving special forces to abduct Bhindranwale from the Golden Temple complex.[48] A RAW unit was formed to rehearse Operation Sundown in the Sarsawa Air Force Base in Uttar Pradesh, but the operation never materialized due to Indira Gandhi’s rejection. It would have caused numerous casualties as collateral damage, the Golden Temple being one of the most visited sites in Punjab. It would have also hurt the religious sentiments of the Sikhs.[30] Other options such as negotiations were chosen instead. The government sent a team led by Narasimha Rao to try to convince Bhindranwale to back out but he was adamant.[30] The negotiations failed and the law and order situation in Punjab continued to deteriorate.[30] Indira Gandhi tried to persuade the Akalis to support her in the arrest of Bhindranwale peacefully. These talks ended up being futile.[30] In the days before the assault, government representatives met with Bhindranwale in a last ditch effort to negotiate a truce. Bhindranwale warned of a backlash by the Sikh community in the event of an armed assault on the Golden Temple.[49] On 26 May, Tohra informed the government that he had failed to get Bhindranwale to agree to a peaceful resolution of the crisis, and that Bhindranwale was no longer under anyone's control.[50] Faced with imminent Army action and with the foremost Sikh political organisation, Shiromani Akali Dal (headed by Harchand Singh Longowal), abandoning him, Bhindranwale declared "This bird is alone. There are many hunters after it".[50] In his final interview to Subhash Kirpekar, Bhindranwale stated that Sikhs can neither live in India nor with India.[51] Indira Gandhi then gave her permission to initiate Operation Blue Star on the recommendation of Army Chief Arun Shridhar Vaidya. She was apparently led to believe and had assumed that Operation Blue Star would not involve any civilian casualties.[52] The assumption was that when confronted Bhindranwale would surrender to the Army.[53]

Preparations Edit

Fortification of Golden Temple Edit The violence rose to its peak in the months before Operation Blue Star and the Golden Temple was allegedly being defiled with weapons. An arsenal had been created within the Akal Takht over a period of several months. Trucks engaged for kar seva (religious service) and bringing in supplies for the daily langar were smuggling in guns and ammunition. The police never attempted to check these vehicles entering the Golden Temple, reportedly on instructions from superiors. During a random check one such truck was stopped and a large number of sten guns and ammunition were found. After Operation Blue Star it was found that the militants had set up a grenade manufacturing facility, and a workshop for the fabrication of sten-guns inside the Temple Complex.[26] The Harmandir Sahib compound and some of the surrounding houses were fortified under the guidance of Major General Shabeg Singh, who had joined Bhindranwale's group after dismissal from the Army. During their occupation of Akal Takht, Bhindranwale's group had begun fortifying the building, which had allegedly disfigured the Akal Takht. The Statesman reported that light machine guns and semi-automatic rifles were known to have been brought into the compound,[54] and strategically placed to defend against an armed assault on the complex. The modern weapons later found inside the temple complex indicated that foreign elements were involved. The heavier weapons were found to have Pakistani or Chinese markings on them.[55] Holes were smashed through the marble walls of Akal takht to create gun positions. Walls were broken to allow entry points from the basements in the Takht and from the rooms around the Parikrama, to the tiled courtyards. Secure machine gun nests were created. All of these positions were protected by sandbags and newly made brick walls. The windows and arches of Akal Takht were blocked with bricks and sandbags. Sandbags were placed on the turrets. The entire Akal Takht had been converted into a large reinforced pillbox with weapons pointing in all directions. Every strategically significant building of the temple complex, apart from the Harmandir Sahib located at its very centre, had been fortified in a similar manner and allegedly defaced. The fortifications also included seventeen private houses in the residential area near the Temple.[26] All the high rise buildings and towers near the temple complex were occupied. The militants manning these vantage points were in wireless contact with Shabeg Singh in Akal Takht.[56] Under the military leadership of the cashiered Major General Singh, ex-Army veterans and deserters had provided weapons training to Bhindranwale’s men in the Temple Complex.[26] Young Sikhs were occupying firing positions in the shrine and the buildings on all sides of Akal Takht.[57] The militants in the complex were anticipating an attack by government troops. The defences in the complex were created with the purpose of holding out long enough to provoke an uprising among Sikhs in the villages and encourage them to march en masse towards the Golden Temple in support of the militants. Sufficient food to last a month was stocked in the complex.[56] During this period police and security forces stationed around the temple complex were allowed only beyond a sanitised area of more than 200 yards. This was to avoid the ‘desecration’ of the temple by their presence. The security forces were prevented by the politicians from taking action in enforcing the law. Even self-defence from the militants was made difficult. On February 14, 1984, a police post near the entrance of the Temple was attacked by a group of militants. Six fully armed policemen were captured and taken inside. After twenty four hours the police responded and sent in a senior police officer for negotiation. He asked Bhindranwale in the Akal Takht to release his men and return their weapons. Bhindranwale agreed only to return the corpse of one of the policemen who had been killed. Later the remaining five policemen who were still alive were also released, but their weapons, including three sten guns and a wireless set, were not returned.[26][53] The fortifications of the temple denied the Army the possibility of commando operations. The buildings were close together and had labyrinthine passages all under the control of the militants. Militants in the temple premises had access to langars, food supplies, and water from the Sarovar (temple pond). Militants were well stocked with weapons and ammunitions. Any siege under these circumstances would have been long and difficult. The option of laying down a long siege was ruled out by the Army due to the risk of emotionally aroused villagers marching to the temple and clashing with the Army. The negotiated settlement had already been rejected by Bhindranwale and the only option left to the government was to raid the temple.[58] Rise in militant incidents Edit Main article: Punjab insurgency On 12th May 1984, Ramesh Chander, Son of Lala Jagat Narain and editor of media house Hind Samachar group, was murdered by pro-Bhindranwale militants. In addition, seven editors and seven news hawkers and newsagents were killed in a planned attack on the freedom of media house, to cripple it financially. Punjab Police had to provide protection for the entire distribution staff, and scenes of armed policemen escorting news hawkers on their morning rounds became common.[59] Bhindranwale used vituperative language in his speeches against Hindus. In order to solve the Hindu-Sikh problem, he exhorted every Sikh to kill thirty-two Hindus.[60] He enjoined young Sikhs to buy motorcycles and weapons to attack enemies of Sikhs, and many young Sikhs followed through. Terror spread throughout the countryside. The numbers of violent incidents were increasing every month. It was nine in September 1983; in October it increased to thirty six, and in May 1984 there were more than fifty violent incidents. These incidents included bank robberies, attacks on police, arson at railway stations, bombings, indiscriminate shootings, and killing of Hindu passengers forcibly taken off of buses.[61] In the twenty two months since the launching of the Akali Dharm Yudh Morcha, until June 1984, Bhindranwale's militants killed 165 Hindus and Nirankaris, per the official figures.[17] Militants also killed 39 Sikhs due to their opposition to Bhindranwale. The total number of deaths was 410 in violent incidents and riots, and 1,180 people were injured.[17] By April 1984, it appeared as if Bhindranwale would be successful in driving Hindus away from Punjab, to Haryana and other states, due to the terror of violent attacks and riots.[62] There were intelligence reports of intercepted messages from Bhindranwale and Shabeg Singh to their followers in the state asking them to start a movement of mass killings of Hindus on 5 June.[63] According to Amarjit Kaur, Bhindranwale wanted to start a civil war between the Hindus and Sikhs.[47] Meanwhile, the number of killings had been rising all over the state, with sometimes more than a dozen a day.[26] On 2 June in the last 24 hours before the announcement of the operation 23 people were killed.[64] In June 1984, the Army was called out to help the civil administration in Punjab in response to a request from the Punjab Governor, B. D. Pande, “in view of the escalating violence by terrorists in Punjab.”[65] On 2 June Operation Blue Star had been initiated to flush out the militants from the Golden Temple.[66] Khalistan Edit Certain radical groups had already started the movement to drive Hindus out of certain areas to make way for Sikhs coming in from other states.[67] Due to the increased incidents of religious violence, exchange of population had already started in Punjab. Sikhs from other states were moving into Punjab and Punjabi Hindus were moving to neighbouring states in increasing numbers. New Khalistani currency was being printed and distributed.[21] By May 1984, the establishment of an independent Khalistan was imminent. Pakistan had been supporting the militants with arms and money, and if Khalistan declared its independence there was the risk of Pakistan recognizing the new country and sending the Pakistani Army into Indian Punjab to guarantee its security.[21]

Operation Edit

Casualties Edit

The Indian Army placed total casualties at:[56] Sikh militants and civilians: 493 dead [12]

Military: 83 killed (4 officers, 79 soldiers) and 236 wounded. Unofficial casualty figures were higher. Bhindranwale and large number of his militants were killed. There were high civilian casualties as well, since militants used pilgrims trapped inside the temple as human shields.[21] The pilgrims were not allowed by the militants to escape from the temple premises in spite of relaxation in the curfew hours by the security forces.[87] The militants hoped the presence of thousands of pilgrims inside the temple premises would prevent action by the army.[67]

Aftermath Edit

Criticisms Edit

Published accounts Edit

Documentaries Edit Operation Blue Star and the assassination of Indira Gandhi (2013) is a TV documentary which premièred on ABP News Channel series, Pradhanmantri. This documentary, directed by Puneet Sharma and narrated by Shekhar Kapur, showed the circumstances preceding the Operation Blue Star and the events that occurred during it including the aftermath.[124][125]

See also Edit

References Edit

Further reading Edit