I was a reporter in the Times of India when Operation Blue Star took place in June, 1984, exactly 26 years ago. The Operation was aimed at flushing out terrorists led by Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale from the Golden Temple, the holiest Sikh Shrine.But obviously the whole strategy backfired.
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi who was initially against the use of any force to evict the militants was prevailed upon by some of her advisers to order a military operation. Thus the operation began in the early hours of June 6th under the overall command of Lt. General Sunderji and the operational command of Brig. K S Brar.
The TOI had assigned Subhash Kirpekar, then a special correspondent, the task of covering the military operation. Both me and my colleague, Ravi Bhatia were keen that we should be sent since we were on the crime beat but the Editor, Giri Lal Jain had given the okay signal to Subhash. Therefore we got to monitor this historic event with huge ramifications from afar (distant Delhi).
At that time, it was known that the Golden Temple complex and the adjoining Guru Ram Dass Sarai had been virtually taken over by the militants led by Bhindranwale. One terrorist, Sukhdev Singh, arrested in Delhi on the Tolstoy Marg-Barakhamba Road crossing after he and his associates had robbed a bank on Parliament Street had blurted everything out.
Of course the Intelligence agencies were aware of a lot of things but Sukhdev’s interrogation was an eye opener both for the Delhi police and the IB. I had covered this arrest after a shooting incident on January 2, 1984 if I recall correctly. Sukhdev was linked to a robbery in a jeweler store in Karol Bagh on November 29, 1983 and the Police also recovered the booty as well as arms from his native village somewhere near Karnal. The police team led by former ACP, Hari Dev had carried out this exercise under the command of Brajesh Gupta who was then the DCP, New Delhi.
Other evidence subsequently corroborated Sukhdev’s revelations. But the government kept sitting on the issue. A stitch in time could have saved nine and a major confrontation at the Golden Temple could have been averted. But the buildup continued and finally the Indian Army with the help of commandoes from its elite regiments and tank fire managed to neutralize the militants inside the Golden Temple on June 6th and 7th.
The damage was very huge. The temple had been desecrated and the Akal Takht was totally destroyed. The Sikhs, the world over were in rage and vowed to take revenge. Those who were killed included Bhindranwale, General Shahbeg Singh, an expert on military warfare who led the offensive against Indian forces and senior functionaries of the All India Sikh Students Federation and the Damdami Taksal.
The Indian Army had won but the price was too heavy. The Sikhs were up in arms and extremely angry. They openly criticized the government action and for the first time in her political career, Indira Gandhi was clueless on how to deal with the subsequent situation. She eventually was shot dead by her own security guards, both Sikhs on October 31, 1984. The killing was followed by anti Sikh riots, which were very barbaric and shameless and would always remain a blot on Independent India’s history.
DETAILED REPORT CAN BE VIEWED FROM THE LINK IN HEADLINE ABOVE.
With thanks : source : Blog Hindustan Times
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