On the 39th anniversary of Operation Bluestar, several pro-Khalistani elements gathered at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Tuesday, June 6, and raised pro-Khalistan slogans on the premises. The pro-Khalistani elements also brandished Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale posters and swords during the event.
Operation Bluestar was a military operation carried out to flush out the Khalistani terrorists from the Golden Temple in the year 1984. Reportedly, earlier, several racial Sikh outfits including the Dal Khalsa, Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), Akali Dal (United), and others had held a ‘remembrance march’ and had carried placards and banners in the city of Amritsar.
A sizable crowd gathered near the Golden Temple, raising pro-Khalistan cries and waving Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale posters and swords. On the grounds of the Sikh temple, ardas was also conducted. Simranjit Singh Mann, a leader of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) and a member of parliament, address the masses. Meanwhile, Jathedar Akal Takht Giani Harpreet Singh asked all Sikh organisations to get together and conduct an awareness campaign on Sikhism throughout the state’s villages.
#WATCH | On the 39th anniversary of Operation Blue Star, Bhindranwale posters and pro-Khalistan slogans raised at the Golden Temple in Punjab's Amritsar pic.twitter.com/VapwQgyCWe
— ANI (@ANI) June 6, 2023
Police said that security was increased in Amritsar to prevent any untoward incidents. Arpit Shukla, Special Director General of Police (law and order), had inspected the security measures in Amritsar earlier on Sunday. The local police and paramilitary forces have intensified patrols, and there are strict security measures in place, according to Shukla. 68 checkpoints have been put up for 24-hour monitoring, and patrolling teams have been placed in the city’s major locations.
Shukla, while speaking to reporters in Amritsar, advised against falling for bogus messages on social media and warned stern action against anyone spreading misinformation. “Four companies of CAPF (central armed police forces) have been deployed in the district, in addition to 3,000 Punjab police personnel. Not only in Amritsar, security has been beefed up all over Punjab. Eleven companies of paramilitary forces have been deployed in the state, in addition to police force mobilisation”, Shukla was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, DCP (Law and order) Parminder Singh Bhandal also confirmed the security arrangements and added that the security forces had sounded a high alert in Amritsar earlier this week as multiple Sikh organisations had announced various programs citing the occasion of Operation Blue Star’s 39th anniversary.
The largest internal security mission the Indian Army has ever gone on was Operation Blue Star in 1984. The Operation was Indira Gandhi’s response to the law-and-order problems that were occurring in Punjab at the time as a result of the spread of the Khalistan movement. Under Operation Blue Star, which was conducted in Amritsar between June 1 and June 8, 1984, Indira Gandhi, the country’s prime minister at the time, gave the order for Indian soldiers to drive out Sikh militants who were stockpiling weapons in Sri Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple).
Supporters of Khalistan had taken refuge at Amritsar’s Golden Temple’s Akal Takht complex in the 1980s. Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale who seized control of the Akal Takht complex in Amritsar’s Golden Temple, was the target of the Blue Star operation.
According to the official data, 492 civilians and at least 83 Army jawans died during the whole operation. The fire at this time included a shot at a copy of the sacred Sikh text that was put in the Golden Temple.
