Operation Bluestar
Operation Bluestar was an Indian Army operation to flush out rebels/terrorists/freedom fighters from the Sikhism's holiest shrine in Amritsar. The June 1984 operation is among the most controversial events in modern Indian history. Here is the site of all the action.
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. They found a disturbed and irrelevant religious leader, who would prove to be a curse on India.
3. 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.
How Congress invented a 'sant'
4. Trouble with Nirankaris and Hindus
In the late 1970s, a series of clashes erupted among Sikhs, Nirankaris (a reformist sect of Sikhs) and Hindus. In 1978, a group of Sikh youth were killed. Allegedly, justice was not meted out to them and the violators were transferred to the courts in neighboring Hindu state of Haryana (where caste rules the most).
The injustice rallied the Sikhs behind Bhindranwale. Call for retribution and revenge spread. The head of Nirankaris and Punjab's police DIG were both murdered. Bhindranwale started proving to be a Frankenstein.
5. Accumulation of arms
In the period from 1978 to 1983, Bhindranwale created a strong armed militia within the compounds of the Golden temple. Being a sacred religious site, Indian army and police could not interfere much. Machine guns, rocket launchers and deadly weapons were accumulated under the militant leader.
Also, Bhindranwale himself had direct communication channels with Indira Gandhi, leading the police and army to be very afraid of dealing with him.
Even when the Indian soldiers were killed, the Indian army was very careful to pick up the bodies. TIME reports: India: City of Death
These days it more closely resembles a city of death. Inside the temple compound, fierce Sikh warriors wield submachine guns, guarding against encroachment by government security forces. Outside, the security men keep a nervous vigil, all too aware that the bodies of murdered comrades often turn up in the warren
Operation Bluestar
By 1984, the proverbial shit had hit the fan. Things went out of control in Punjab as Bhindranwale locked himself up in the sacred site while the Akalis went on a rampage outside. Riots and strikes had brought one of the richest Indian states down on its knees.
Our friendly neighbor, Pakistan, started getting more involved and fomenting more trouble. The rebels even put out their own currency. There was a scary prospect of Punjab getting ripped from India.
Indira Gandhi is known for her often bold and reckless actions. She will make her final major decision. Bhindranwale and his followers would be smoked out of the temple - dead or alive.
The date of the action was chosen as June 3, 1984. Unfortunately, it happened to be a holy day for the Sikhs (matyrdom day of one of their 10 gurus). The day brought thousands of innocent pilgrims to the site. The army believed that the pilgrims would be used as human shields by the terrorists.
The militants were made of ex-army men and thus were well trained. They were led by the disgraced ex-Major General Shabeg Singh. Thus, the opponents were no ordinary men.
Army started to ask for a surrender through a public addressal system. The militants would not give up. Without a response from the militants, the army entered the holy shrine with tanks and guns. In the next 24 hours, a brutal gun fight would ensue.
Bhindranwale's followers were armed to the teeth and were on a suicide mission. This increased the casualties and in all close to a 1000 persons died - more than 136 were Indian army men. The leader, the disgraced Major general and the whole team were killed. A complete media blackout encircled the state of Punjab with curfews imposed.
Aftermath
The Bluestar is controversial for its human rights violations. According the Brahma Chellaney - the only reporter for a foreign magazine in Amritsar that time, there were dozens of Sikh militants who were tied behind their back before being shot. In the years following the operation, many more thousands would perish in cities and rural heartland.
During the operation, a number of Sikh literature were destroyed and the temple itself bore the brunt of armed attacks. Innocent boys were allegedly rounded up all over the state with the ostensible reason of attacking terrorism.
As a revenge, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated 4 months later. Later the Indian government would repair the temple to its pre-1984 state. One of the Generals who was in Bluestar - General Arun Shridhar Vaidya was assassinated in 1986, further hardening India's stance towards Khalistan supporters.
Summary:
Bluestar was an Indian army operation against a group of rebels holed out in Sikhism's holiest place - the Golden temple. The rebels were led by the controversial, separatist leader - Bhindranwale. The operation led to the death of 100s of Indian soldiers, terrorists and innocent pilgrims. It remains controversial, as many believe that the use of violence was excessive and alternative peace approaches were not properly explored.
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. They found a disturbed and irrelevant religious leader, who would prove to be a curse on India.
3. 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.
How Congress invented a 'sant'
4. Trouble with Nirankaris and Hindus
In the late 1970s, a series of clashes erupted among Sikhs, Nirankaris (a reformist sect of Sikhs) and Hindus. In 1978, a group of Sikh youth were killed. Allegedly, justice was not meted out to them and the violators were transferred to the courts in neighboring Hindu state of Haryana (where caste rules the most).
The injustice rallied the Sikhs behind Bhindranwale. Call for retribution and revenge spread. The head of Nirankaris and Punjab's police DIG were both murdered. Bhindranwale started proving to be a Frankenstein.
5. Accumulation of arms
In the period from 1978 to 1983, Bhindranwale created a strong armed militia within the compounds of the Golden temple. Being a sacred religious site, Indian army and police could not interfere much. Machine guns, rocket launchers and deadly weapons were accumulated under the militant leader.
Also, Bhindranwale himself had direct communication channels with Indira Gandhi, leading the police and army to be very afraid of dealing with him.
Even when the Indian soldiers were killed, the Indian army was very careful to pick up the bodies. TIME reports: India: City of Death
These days it more closely resembles a city of death. Inside the temple compound, fierce Sikh warriors wield submachine guns, guarding against encroachment by government security forces. Outside, the security men keep a nervous vigil, all too aware that the bodies of murdered comrades often turn up in the warren
Operation Bluestar
By 1984, the proverbial shit had hit the fan. Things went out of control in Punjab as Bhindranwale locked himself up in the sacred site while the Akalis went on a rampage outside. Riots and strikes had brought one of the richest Indian states down on its knees.
Our friendly neighbor, Pakistan, started getting more involved and fomenting more trouble. The rebels even put out their own currency. There was a scary prospect of Punjab getting ripped from India.
Indira Gandhi is known for her often bold and reckless actions. She will make her final major decision. Bhindranwale and his followers would be smoked out of the temple - dead or alive.
The date of the action was chosen as June 3, 1984. Unfortunately, it happened to be a holy day for the Sikhs (matyrdom day of one of their 10 gurus). The day brought thousands of innocent pilgrims to the site. The army believed that the pilgrims would be used as human shields by the terrorists.
The militants were made of ex-army men and thus were well trained. They were led by the disgraced ex-Major General Shabeg Singh. Thus, the opponents were no ordinary men.
Army started to ask for a surrender through a public addressal system. The militants would not give up. Without a response from the militants, the army entered the holy shrine with tanks and guns. In the next 24 hours, a brutal gun fight would ensue.
Bhindranwale's followers were armed to the teeth and were on a suicide mission. This increased the casualties and in all close to a 1000 persons died - more than 136 were Indian army men. The leader, the disgraced Major general and the whole team were killed. A complete media blackout encircled the state of Punjab with curfews imposed.
Aftermath
The Bluestar is controversial for its human rights violations. According the Brahma Chellaney - the only reporter for a foreign magazine in Amritsar that time, there were dozens of Sikh militants who were tied behind their back before being shot. In the years following the operation, many more thousands would perish in cities and rural heartland.
During the operation, a number of Sikh literature were destroyed and the temple itself bore the brunt of armed attacks. Innocent boys were allegedly rounded up all over the state with the ostensible reason of attacking terrorism.
As a revenge, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated 4 months later. Later the Indian government would repair the temple to its pre-1984 state. One of the Generals who was in Bluestar - General Arun Shridhar Vaidya was assassinated in 1986, further hardening India's stance towards Khalistan supporters.
Summary:
Bluestar was an Indian army operation against a group of rebels holed out in Sikhism's holiest place - the Golden temple. The rebels were led by the controversial, separatist leader - Bhindranwale. The operation led to the death of 100s of Indian soldiers, terrorists and innocent pilgrims. It remains controversial, as many believe that the use of violence was excessive and alternative peace approaches were not properly explored.
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