Talk:Operation Blue Star/Archive 1

well informed

indira was so not right to do this.

many sihks were killed, innocent ones

this article has alot of info. to help what happened, this is not one-sided, if this is, then the indira ghandi article in this web.,is one-sided also. it says how she helped people. no she didnt, she killed, thats right she was murder!! this is not one-sided. then all other articles are one-sided too.

24 July 2007

Hindu extremist information distorting Sikh pages on Wikipedia, Sikh contacting non Indian moderators to halt distortion

Here are the substantiated facts that you are trying to hide.

Media Quotes on 1984

On 4 June, a day of pilgrimage for Sikhs when thousands had gathered at the Golden Temple, army tanks moved into the Temple Complex, smashing into the sanctum and shooting everyone in sight…. Those left alive were then prevented from leaving the building, many wounded were left to bleed to death and when they begged for water, Army Jawans told them to drink the mixture of blood and urine on the floor. Some 3000 dead, including many who were only unconscious, were piled high in trucks and removed. Four months later no list of casualties or missing persons had yet been issued. Then can the army occupation of Panjab with frequent humiliations, arrests and killings of Sikhs by soldiers. It caused a feeling voiced by many ordinary people who had never before been separatists that …Sikhs could not be safe there.”

Amrit Wilson: New Statesman - 16 November 1984

PUNJAB UNDER SIEGE

‘For five days the Punjab has been cut off from the rest of the world. There is a 24-hour curlew. All telephone and telex lines are cut. No foreigners are permitted entry and on Tuesday, all Indian journalists were expelled. There are no newspapers, no trains, no buses -not even a bullock cart can move.

Christian Science Monitor - 8 June 1984

‘HEAR NO EVIL, SEE NO EVIL’

“As long as the army keeps news reporters and other outsiders from traveling in Punjab except on tightly controlled military tours, there is no way of knowing what excesses might be committed”

New York Times - 8 June 1984

COLD BLOODED MURDERS

“The Amritsar deputy police superintendent who helped remove bodies from the temple grounds said at least 13 of the victims were shot with their hands bound. It was a virtual massacre,” said the Jullundar doctor. “A large number of women, children and pilgrims were gunned down.”

Associated Press - 14 June 1984

INHUMANITY

“…medical workers in Amritsar said soldiers had threatened to shoot them if they gave food or water to Sikh pilgrims wounded in the attack and lying in the hospital.”

Christian Science Monitor - 18 June 1984

SILENCING THE PEOPLE

“Mopping up after the death of Jarnail Singh Bhindanwale…the government has now arrested more than 3000 of his….followers. The government has also turned up its propaganda machine

Newsweek - 25 June 1984

DISINFORMATION

“As for anti-Sikh feeling, the word ‘Sikh’ and ‘terrorist’ became almost synonymous in the government controlled media and in the speeches of politicians. The storming of the Golden Temple at Amritsar was reported by most national papers and radio and television in a shamelessly biased fashion.”

Amrit Wilson: New Statesman - 16 November 1984

During the Golden Temple attack, young boys ages 8 to 13 were taken outside and asked if they supported Khalistan, the independent Sikh country. When they answered with the Sikh religious incantation “Bole So Nihal,” they were shot to death. The Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy scriptures, written in the time of the Sikh Gurus, were shot full of bullet holes and burned by the Indian forces.

India has not allowed Amnesty International or UN Rapporteur for Torture to be allowed to visit and investigate in Panjab for almost 30 years. What is India hiding?

EDM 664 - 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE STORMING OF THE GOLDEN TEMPLE COMPLEX That this House notes with sadness the 20th anniversary of the June 1984 assault by the Indian army on the Golden Temple complex, the Sikhs’ holiest shrine, where sacred buildings and historic artefacts were destroyed or damaged beyond repair; further notes that the unprecedented action using artillery and tanks took place on one of the most important days in the Sikh calendar, when there were huge numbers of pilgrims in attendance, which resulted in thousands of innocent Sikhs being killed in cold blood, many with their hands and feet bound, including women and children; is appalled that scores of other Sikh Gurdwaras were stormed by the Indian army throughout Panjab and that thousands of Sikhs were arrested, tortured, and killed, including children; recognises that these actions by the Indian authorities continue to have an immeasurable impact on Sikhs throughout the world; and extends its sympathy and support to the law-abiding, hard working, and well respected international Sikh community.

EDM 663 - VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS OF SIKHS IN INDIA That this House notes and applauds the efforts of human rights activists in India to highlight atrocities, including false imprisonment, torture, deaths in custody, extra-judicial executions and disappearances, perpetrated against Sikhs in the last 20 years; further notes that it is estimated that over 250,000 Sikhs have been murdered and/or disappeared since June 1984; is deeply concerned that 20 years later the Indian Government continues to deny full access to Panjab to international human rights groups and to the UN Rapporteur on Torture; regrets that thousands of families are still waiting to know the fate of relatives who have disappeared; and calls on the Prime Minister, on behalf of the estimated 700,000 Sikhs in the United Kingdom, to lead the international community in demanding full access to Panjab to international human rights groups and the UN.

EDM 662 - 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF NOVEMBER 1984 ATTACKS ON SIKHS That this House notes with sadness the 20th anniversary of the November 1984 pogrom against thousands of innocent Sikhs in a matter of days in cities across India; further notes that Sikhs became the target of organised violence with murderous gangs swarming into Sikh houses, hacking the occupants to pieces, chopping off the heads of children, raping women, tying Sikh men to tyres set aflame with kerosene and pulling Sikh passengers from public transport to be lynched or burned alive; recognises that Amnesty International in a memorandum to the Government of India, complained that far from being spontaneous expressions of popular grief and anger as made out by the authorities, the killings were the outcome of a well organised plan marked by acts of both deliberate commission and omission by important politicians of the Congress and by authorities in the administration; believes that investigation and criminal proceedings are long overdue; and calls upon Her Majesty’s Government to take the lead in the international community to establish an independent UN inquiry into the failure of successive governments in India to take sufficient actions against those responsible for the events of November 1984.

1984 to the Present

In November 1984, thousands of Sikh civilians in New Delhi and other major cities, were systematically hunted down and murdered in their homes and on the streets; with the open complicity of the Indian police.

• Over the last 25 years, India has imposed a regime of gruesome repression and murder on the Sikh population in Panjab. Tens of thousands of Sikh civilians have been killed in a combination of staged ‘armed encounters’ and ‘disappearances’.

• Amnesty International(2) and Human Rights Watch (3) have together produced over twenty separate reports, documenting widespread human rights atrocities in Panjab by India’s police and army. Torture, arbitrary incarceration, and custodial deaths, are reported as routine and widespread. India has refused to open up to an international scrutiny of these incidents. It has barred Amnesty International, since 1978; and has refused to permit access to the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Torture and Disappearances.

• Many human rights activists, such as Jaswant Singh Khalra (4), have been killed in police custody or ‘disappeared’ in sinister circumstances.

Human rights should be enjoyed by all people at all times. We believe that awareness of these issues will help the struggle to end grave abuses of the fundamental human rights in Panjab and elsewhere in India. We come from all walks of life, with widely different political and religious views, united by our determination to ensure everyone enjoys basic human rights. We want to give hope to the people of Panjab that justice will be done. At the same time, we strongly and unequivocally condemn the killings of other innocents, including Hindus, that took place during the same period. Acts like these were used to further communalise the situation and impose further draconian measures.

Notes

(1) Politics of Genocide (1995) by Inderjit Singh Jaijee of the Movement against State Repression, p 41 quoting three human rights groups and three Advocates Generals who researched the killings for the period 1984-1994.

(2) Break the Cycle of Impunity and Torture in Punjab (2003), Amnesty International.

(3)Dead Silence: The Legacy of Abuses in Punjab (1994), Physicians for Human Rights.

(4) A Mockery of Justice – The case concerning the ‘disappearance’ of human rightrs defender Jaswant Singh Khalra severely undermined, Amnesty International (1998

Continuing Violations The Indian government has murdered over 250,000 Sikhs since 1984, more than 300,000 Christians in Nagaland since 1948, over 90,000 Muslims in Kashmir since 1988, and tens of thousands of Tamils, Assamese, Bodos, Manipuris, Dalits, and others. The Indian Supreme Court called the Indian government’s murders of Sikhs “worse than a genocide.” The police arrested human-rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra after he exposed their policy of mass cremation of Sikhs, in which over 50,000 Sikhs have been arrested, tortured, and murdered, then their bodies were declared unidentified and secretly cremated. He was murdered in police custody. His body was not given to his family. The police never released the body of former Jathedar of the Akal Takht Gurdev Singh Kaunke after SSP Swaran Singh Ghotna murdered him. Ghotna has never been brought to trial for the Jathedar Kaunke murder. No one has been brought to justice for the kidnapping and murder of Jaswant Singh Khalra.

Human Rights Reports on Sikhs and Punjab

Amnesty International

India: Punjab - Twenty years on impunity continues - Amnesty International Amnesty International (AI) is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights. URL: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGASA200992004

India: A vital opportunity to end impunity in Punjab - Amnesty International In 1996 in response to two petitions filed in the Supreme Court containing allegations of human rights violations in Punjab, the Court ordered th National Human Rights Commission to examine the al… URL: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGASA200241999

India: Will past human rights violations in Punjab remain forgotten? - Amnesty International Amnesty International (AI) is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights. URL: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGASA200291999

India: Break the cycle of impunity and torture in Punjab - Amnesty International Torture and custodial violence continue to be regularly reported in Punjab, despite the end of the militancy period in the state in the mid-1990s. In this report Amnesty International makes the …

India: AI membership expresses solidarity to the families of the disappeared in Punjab - Amnesty International There is no abstract for this document URL: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGASA200052003

India: Fear of torture/Fear for safety - Amnesty International Amnesty International is concerned for the safety of at least 100 individuals including social activists, human rights defenders and lawyers in Punjab. Some are being illegally detained in connect… URL: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGASA200022004

India : Fear of torture/fear for safety of Rajiv Singh - Amnesty International Rajiv Singh, a key witness in the trial of police officers accused of abducting a human rights activist has been arrested by Punjab police. Amnesty International fears this is an attempt to prevent … URL: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGASA200482000

India: A Mockery of Justice: The case concerning the “disappearance” of human rights defender Jaswant Singh Khalra severely undermined - Amnesty International This brief report documents the means used by accused police officers, including delay of proceedings and intimidation of witnesses, in their search of impunity for the ‘disappearance’ of Jaswant … URL: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGASA200071998

Human Rights Watch

Letter from Human Rights Watch to the National Human Rights Commission of India

On the upcoming decision in the Punjab mass secret cremations case As the National Human Rights Commission prepares to issue a decision in the Punjab mass secret cremations case, we urge the Commission to order a full accounting of the systematic abuses that occurred in Punjab, determine liability after detailed investigations into the violations, and provide for compensation for surviving family members based on a detailed understanding of the scope of violations suffered by each individual.

Other Screams of Terror By Meenakshi Ganguly, Human Rights Watch researcher Published in The Asian Age People who lived through 1984 in Delhi are unlikely to forget the horrors. After years of inquiries, commissions, accusations and denials, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has, last month, expressed regret for the horrifying anti-Sikh riots that followed the assassination of Indira Gandhi, saying that, “I have no hesitation in apologising not only to the Sikh community but the whole Indian nation because what took place in 1984 is the negation of the concept of nationhood and what is enshrined in our Constitution.”

India: Justice Eludes Families of the “Disappeared” in Punjab … “Ending state impunity for abuses in Punjab must become a priority. … We hope it will do the same in Punjab.” Smita Narula, senior researcher for South … www.hrw.org/press/2003/06/india061003.htm

Not informative

From the perspective of an outsider looking for basic info about this event, the page is not very useful. It is very tense and assumes prior knowledge of the situation, and tries to elaborate without introducing. Someone with a purely historical interest in the event (if that's possible), should provide some concise introductory text, at the least. Operation bluestar was agenocide aimes at the extermination of sikhs.Binderawale was not a terrorist but religious leader. The hindus are bent on destroying the sikh faith.

Jdcantin 17:28, 14 November 2006 (UTC)

I completely agree with Jdcantin, I think to begin fixing this piece we must begin at the beginning. How about replaceing the first section with something like this:

Occupation of Harmandir Sahib

A crackdown on Separatist Sikh Militants in early 1984 resulted in militant Sikhs under the leadership of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale's to fortify the Harmandir Sahib. Operation Blue Star was the Indian army’s response to the temple’s fortification. The attack resulted in many casualties on both sides including Bhindranwale.

I think this rather simple source covers all that informaiton. my edit would fix some grammer issues and remove unsourced information.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/sikhism/history/history_2.shtml

Just my two centsBenFFoster 20:25, 12 March 2007 (UTC)

Yes I agree. The article doesn't say why it happened. The most important thing when you write an article--Vishal wall 17:29, 8 August 2007 (UTC).

One Sided

Unfortunately, this event is extremely one-sided. Whatever attempts are made to "objectify" the information presented here, the reality is the the Indian army undertook a wholly unjustifiable action against a sacred site. Any objective analysis/narration of the facts of this incident will by their nature reveal a pro-Sikh, anti-government "bias." This is not a bias after all, but is simply a commentary on the tragedy of the event.

I am one of the survivors of this massacre, and work with lawyers now filing court cases for other survivors. I am willing to submit all and any proof required, so that all doubts about the magnitude of the massacre will be cleared. [Baljit]

I am the webmaster of http://saintsoldiers.waheguroo.com also known as saintsoldiers.net. I posted this page. As well as similar pages from this site. You can reach me at webmaster@waheguroo.com for more information or questions. All pages on this site are perfectly ok to put on this site. In fact we welcome the spread of knowledge and information :)

I've removed all Sikh nationalist POV. Anything that is posted from the above site will need heavy copy editing and fact checking. Secretlondon 10:11, Dec 3, 2003 (UTC)

Bhindranwale was NOT a separatist and did not call for the creation of Khalistan, this is well documented in BBC interviews he gave in the months leading to Operation Bluestar. In the said interviews Jarnail Singh explains that an attack on Harimandir Shaib would be the catalyst for creation of Khalistan.

  If Bhindranwale was NOT a separatist and terrorist, then why was he and his men were killing innocent people.

Indira Gandhi's Role in the Massacre

Indira Gandhi, the Indian head of state, was assassinated because of this massacre. I would like to see more details on her involvement. Did she authorize the action? Was she fully aware of what ti was she was authorizing? Or, was she mislead and manipulated by "warhawks" looking for a fight? The fact that her Sikh bodyguards (who eventually assassinated her) were not dismissed before this operation leads me to believe that she did not think a massacre was about to occur, even though it was obviously intended to be that by the people who planned it and carried it out. Please shed some light on the highly important information. Qwasty 04:00, 14 July 2006 (UTC)

She was actively negotiating with the Akalis and had full knowlege of the action, which used 80,000 troops in addition to tanks and chemical gas on civilians. She was the head of state and this level of military could not be deployed without her knowledge and assent. According to A Soldier Recalls, a book by S.K. Sinha who has the head of the Western Command (division used to attack the Golden Temple) the year before the action took place, he was asked to carry the same operation while in charge. He refused stating that it was the work of the police to go inside the shrine and not the army. This refusal cost Sinha a major promotion--he did not rise to be the head of the entire Armed Force as it had been expected, since he was the senior most officer. You can read it in the aforemention autobiography of his. Thus, the action was delayed. The action had been rehersed with a full-scale model of the Sikh shrine according to Ram Narayan Kumar and Joyce Pettigrew a year before. It is highly unlikely that all this happened without India Gandhi's knowledge. The two guards were her favorites and she could not even dream that they would betray her, very much like the present Congress govenment cannot even dream that Manmohan Singh could betray them (as validated by his shameful suppression of the Nanavati Comission Report for six months and his claim on national television that Rajiv Gandhi had nothing to do with the November anti-Sikh pogroms--all this at the expense of his own community!). Zafarnamah 06:49, 14 July 2006 (UTC)

Hello, Qwasty and Zafarnamah,

I was born after the said incidents, so can't really comment about the "reality" lying somewhere between what is shouted and what is whispered; what is claimed and what is hinted at; and, what is "documented" and what is conjectured. But, what I can definitely comment about is the structure of the constitution in terms of the judiciary, the legislative, and the executive (the union government), which makes it absolutely sure that none of the armed forces do anything of their own free will without the directions (and, of course, knowledge) of the government. And, what is important here is not that it is written in the constitution, but that it has traditionally been followed. That's why one never hears about any army chief staging a coup, and neither is its probability ever speculated. As is well illustrated by the example cited by Zafarnamah, the army is under the tight control of the government for their officials' promotions, payments, privileges are so heavily dependent upon how happy "some people in certain quarters" are with them. Well, as you must be aware this phenomenon is not exclusive to the Indian army alone, but any organization in the world, under any kind of political influence, (simply stated, every organization).

Hope I made sense. Would love to get comments from you. Regards.

—KetanPanchal^taLK 05:26, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Have made significant changes to the article

Removed:

"The Indian Army without thought or care for innocent civilians trapped in the complex launched the assault."

The above statement is clearly POV.

Added a timeline to the sequence of events from the occupation of the Temple complex by Bhindranwales forces to the attack by the Indian military. Sources include several neutral sources which includes BBC reports and witness accounts and John Pike's global security and conflict portal. Some of these can be online found here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/6/newsid_2499000/2499341.stm http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/punjab.htm http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/media/video/otdvideo/84/06/06/3024_06-06-84?size=4x3&bgc=6699CC&nbram=1&nbram=1&bbram=1&news=1 Avataran

I do however agree that Bhindranwale himself never called for a creation of Khalistan. However the temple as a site for several thousand separatists pledging a vow for a seperate state and his last stand within the temple complex assumes significance. Avataran

All i Have to say is that there were grenades found at an excavation site at the harminder sahib complex this is not in dispute it only serves to reinforce what the Government has to say on the matter here is a link on the findings - http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006%5C01%5C11%5Cstory_11-1-2006_pg4_22

BTW type grenades and amritsar or grenades and temple and you can find plentyful results do not reply i wont be visiting again this serves to prove insurgency in 84

NPOV

This article is still very pro-Sikh. Please try to make it more NPOV. --Woohookitty 01:00, 18 Feb 2005 (UTC)

you must be a Indira lover. hello come on she bombed the Gurdwara, that is not acceptable is it? if it had happen to a what is that hindi place called, oh yeah a mandhir you would have been mad right, you hindu!! tomadre

You must be a terrorist like bindrenwala. The terrorists kept hostage their own people. What kind of person are you, who support terrorist taking control of a religious place. you terrorist!! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 132.198.138.110 (talk) 21:09, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Hello to all the the "over"-signed!

As it is , it's very difficult to know what the facts are in such situations (especially for those uninvolved) in the incidents. There is a clear overall bias in how certain sources have been viewed as "neutral". A third-party might be a better adjective. For instance, the BBC. Why does every one jump all analysis to easily assume they were neutral, and truthful? In fact, they're the least likely to have been in the know. And, to Woohookitty, I'd like to humbly point out, if I've to put it most simply, neutrality is very different from exercising moderation. If one simply states that "Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings were very cruel acts without any thought for innocent Japanese citizens", that wouldn't be WP:POV. That would be a fact. A statement from WP:POV, I thought is quite illustrative: The reliability of the person giving you the facts is as important as the facts themselves. Keep in mind that facts are seldom facts, but what people think are facts, heavily tinged with assumptions.

My response isn't directed in particular towards any one, but only with one theme that if one is ready to be open enough, there are two sides to "truth", not just one. And, in incidents, such as these, it is very easy to comment and speculate from a neutral (which, also means uninvolved and unaffected by the tragedy) position. The truth is only known by those who experienced it first hand.

It is not a new phenomenon in the world in which we live for what is documented to not really be the truth, especially if there's a little conflict of interest (viz., the government that "documents" the incident, itself is the perpetrator of the said "massacre").

In my opinion, the article in its current form is quite alright in terms of WP:NPOV. Hope I did provide you all with some food for thought.

Regards.

—KetanPanchal^taLK 05:55, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

I don't think there is any comparison between Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings and operation blue star. The better comparison would be Kashmir. The army did not enter the temple to kill innocent people. The people in the temple were our own people, the Indians. Why would Indira Gandhi or the Indian Army would kill their own people. I don't think any body will disagree that the first priority was to make surrender the terrorists hiding in the temple and to free the innocent people kept hostage. If the terrorists cared about their own people, the sikhs, they would let the innocent people go. But the people were used as weopon against the army. Shame of those who support terrorists like Bhindrenwala. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 132.198.138.110 (talk) 13:30, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Changes in Progress

I have added several elements from the Indian security perspective. I should add that I am not a supporter of the Khalistan movement, and subsequently there could be unfair slants that I have inevitably taken. Nevertheless, I am deeply critical of human right abuses of the Punjab insurgency (on both sides) and the organization of the Bluestar operation (the genuine mishandling of which led to the creation of the National Security Gaurds - black cat commandos and the negligible human loss of the other two stormings of the Golden Temple, Black Thunder I & II) and also do believe that an accurate telling of the story is important. From my perspective, it is important to the century old project of the building the Indian democracy.

In the future, I intend to add a timeline of the operation, write a section on the Indian Army Operational Plan and Objectives, and remold the "Indian Army Attacks" section to commentary on the operational failures, outcomes as well as the gross human loss and damage to the Golden Temple. I, also, intend to add another section on the aftermath of Operation Bluestar and its relevance to the Punjab Insurgency. Finally, once all these activites are complete, I plan to rewrite a summary and then take the article off dispute (assuming we are more or less fine at least on the broader picture).

Looking forward to inputs.

Feb 18, 11:13 GMT The webpage must focus on real articles from Amnesty International and human rights organisations that are independent and impartial. Relying on Indian state intelligence or security viewpoint would obviously justify the massacre of thousands of innocent civillian sikhs. Visit http://www.amnesty.org or http://www.witneess84.com or http://www.carnage84.com or http://www.sikhlionz.com for more info.

Bluestar Operational Plans

Just a small note. I've been disambiguating the word 'OR' and will show my ignorance by having no idea what the ORs abbreviation stands for in this text. Anyone want to expand/rename the link? Tx --Bookandcoffee 02:08, 9 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Still very pro sikh

The article is still very pro sikh and anti Indian. Someone with subject knowledge please make it NPOV.

Wow, this article has got to be the most un-encyclopedic, rant-like and POV article I have seen on Wikipedia. I really wish I knew enough about the issue to do justice to this important topic. 130.15.213.180 05:27, 11 January 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps links to more articles that acknowledge the pro-Sikh side of the story and acknowledge the pro-government side as well would give readers a greater view to both sides. Due to the very nature of the event, many deem the Indian government to be at fault (at rightfully so), similar to how the events of the Holocaust are very anti-German. The rediff.com link has an interview with Gen. Brar, which gives insight into the government's view. 72.137.224.24 18:42, 16 October 2006

POV as to Pakistani involvement (Operation Topac)

I went ahead and reverted the rewrite of 26 April 2005; however, the article implies that the Sikh independence movement was nothing more than a Pakistani intellegence operation, and that bias needs to be removed. I'm sure the independence movement probably gathered resources from where ever available but the implication is still POV and will continue to be a source of trouble with maintaining this article. Also the title (using only the Indian government's term for the operation and not adressing a common name, Golden Temple Massacre) is probably a little POV. 12.74.168.70 15:49, 28 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Guys no one knows for sure what caused it and who was behind it. It should be written its belived these people were involved. Its sort of the kennedy assasination for the Sikhs.

To the people who think this article is biased all I am gonna say is that you don't know the pain untill you have suffered. It is same as justifiying US attacks on Iraq.

http://www.kashmir-information.com/Miscellaneous/OperationTopac.html

Length of a second depends on which side of the bathroom you are..

Well, after reading the comments made here and the Blue Star Operation as given by Indian Government aka Golden Temple Massacre at answers.com, I would like to add few things. Before I write any comments I'm intrigued by the few things which no one has ever answered in any of the articles since this massacre has happened and let me make one thing clear that I'm against the idea of using Holy shrine as a fort for your political or religious beliefs.

Now, Firstly, in the so called Democratic India why the Indian media was not allowed to go into Punjab to report about the issue let alone the world media for five days? Punjab was cut out of the world for five days and anything can be done in these five days, e.g. hide money, arms in the holy pool and show it as it was from militants etc. If Mrs. Indira Gandhi was a true prime minister of INDIA, she should have allowed the media to go in and report the issues handled by Army and millitants, but given the back ground of Mrs. Gandhi, "In 1975 when she was barred from holding office for six years after she was found guilty of electoral corruption, she refused to resign and controversially declared a state of emergency, claiming there was a plot to disrupt democracy", who would have expected a fair trial from her anyways.

Secondly, why the government choosed the holy day, the anniversary of the martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev, who built the Golden Temple and compiled the Sikh's Holy book. Everyone knew that there will be millions of pilgrim visiting the Golden Temple. Why ? The operations are always well planned and organised. This date defintely should have come to their mind as not to start their operation but they did.

<<Apparently, intelligence reports indicated that the militants would declare an independent state at midnight (to intentionally coincide with the Holiday) and Pakistan would recognize the state of Khalistan. This would mean support from the Islamic world and an international crisis. This was to happen at midnight. Operation Blue Star was given the go ahead at 6 PM. I think that justifies the date.>>

This is going to be clear one side game unless someone from the Indian Intelligence services come out and speak the truth behind the curtains.

Bandhu Aawaaz

Why dont we have a complete info on the begining of circumstances

Everthing written below is not backed by any evidence. It is just opinions and irrational thought. By the Indian Army going into the complex, purity was not regained. They did not adhere to even simple rules when in there, such as not smoking, covering their heads, removing shoes. Even the British Army adhered to these rules. Just forget what Sant Jarnail Singh was about, Operation Blue Star was a horrible event in the history of the world, for you to try to play this article off as one with an agenda, its sad. Its even worse that you claim you are a Sikh and were living in Amritsar the time. I hope you research from now on, and not just tell "stories" which you claim you have evidence on.

Why should we forget who Bhindrewala was? Simple rules? Is not taking weapons such as Rocket Launchers and machine guns not a "simple rule"...please do not discriminate on the views of the person below by calling their views and thoughts irrational.

As usual there are many articles each with its own agenda. I am a sikh too but i was amazed to see some totally senseless articles on net. Calling operation blue star and attack on the roots of sikhs etc etc. I was there in amritsar when it happened and i have experienced the day of curfue people running to reach there homes and spray bullet trails on the night . Leaving it all what i want to say is that due to the lack of information and due to hesitation of people and media to discuss such an intense issue has made it more unkown . But still there should be no doubt that what sant jarnail sindh did was take REFUGE in the temple. To those who dont know akal thakt (the building destroyed by tanks) is where leader of sikh community are to be seated. And Sant jarnail singh WAS not an elected supreme leader of the SGPC the prominant sikh organization which lays formulation of religious legislature and is considered to be representative of the sikh community . And Sant Jarnail singh occupied the Temple and started to develop a forteress. He collected arms and ammunition which could surely be enough for 10,000 people. But he only had 100 man fighting for him during the operation. - To those who dont know and were not even born yet there were many grave astrocities bieng done by militants in the golden temple. There were many people who were executed when they came to pray at the temple. - Secondly if Sant Jarnail Singh was a true sikh he would not have been a coward to hide in temple and fight his war from inside. It was his presence which forced or if you want to say which was excuse for the whole operation. - It was a fact that he was running his own psuedo regime. His man were above law and above police. They executed many men were just too feared that even police didnt had the guts to get them. - Lets not forget an incident which had happened in broad day light and yes it is a fact and is supported by evidence. In this event a person who was just a clerk in amritsar muncipal corporation who had gone to the Golden temple and his only mistake was that he wore a khaki turban(yes he was a sikh). The militants which had occupied the temple since long caught him on parikarma took him inside and cut his body into pieces because he was wearing COLOR OF THE POLICE UNIFORM. - And the muncipal corporation workers went for a 7 days strike. FOR SEVEN DAYS these goons refused to give his body. - And another small story from atleast hundreds of similar in which a DIG of police had gone to golden temple in plain clothes and without any guard or whatsoever protection because he was a sikh and had a right to pay his regards at the temple was CAPTURED by these men of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale and his limbs were cut and than he was killed inside the temple.

so cutting it short folks. I do say attack BY TANKS WAS NOT RIGHT. And yes some 300 innocent people were killed and some my military and both these things were wrong but the operation itself was not. - As a sikh myself i think waheguru(GOD) and respectful gurus of sikh religion wanted that the epitome of human unity the GOLDEN TEMPLE which was made by gurus and was protected by lives of thousands of sikhs during mougal wars , to be cleared and regain its purity from the filth that had been created by these cowards. - And to any sikh who hails them i would like to ask one question. How can you hail those very people who had willingly brought it on the temple. IF they were true sikhs they could have fought with the so called agressive indian government in fields in cities or where ever. Our gurus did not promote sikhs to be cowards to enter a sacred place because it would mean protection from indiscreminate attack. How can you forget that these so called sikh warriors urinated and used the temple as a toilet during the 3 days of sieze. I think rather than doing that they should have come out and face the bullet.

Background Info

rediculous amount of POV

"While the whole of India lay prostrate before Indira, Sikhs launched the only determined anti-emergency agitation" this statement is utterly false. India has and had a resilient Democracy. Look for an aritcle about Emergency in India. IN fact, The whole backround info section is extremely biased, stating no facts relevent to operation bluestar.

Article fanatically written

This article terribly biased.It doesnot have a standard expected from a wikipedia article.the writer seems to be having a grudge against indian government.No mention seems to be forthcoming towards the atrocities of so called 'Khalisthan movement'.When nation is on turmoil,government cant sitback and watch..

I Agree with above

The Khalistan movement was and is very much real. Any attempts of sikhs to explain it in a pro-sikh way is simply discounting the fact that bhindranwale intended to go to war with india as a separatist. unfortunately, many sikhs i know are unaware of this fact and insist that bhindranwale was a saint. Therefore, in keeping with wikipedia's impartiality, i would provide a strong viewpoint to counterbalance the author's argument that operation blue star was a "massacre". I invite people to evaluate what may have happened if bhindranwale had started a civil war within india.

Sant Bhindrawale was not starting a civil war. How much you know about being a minority in a country with a billion population. Have you even lived in India and seen what it's like. Just sitting o your computer desk trying to evaluate this incident. Imagine someone coming into your home and shooting your family. And then let me evaluate the incident. so just shut it, iight.

Minorities in India? The indian prime minister is sikh and the indian president is muslim, this just says a whole lot about india as a democracy.if you give the scenario of "someone coming into your home and shooting your family" please also remember that hoards of hindus suffered a similar fate.

Actually "minorities in India" is correct. The indian prime minister is a Sikh, very true. But do you know how he became prime minister? He wasn't elected, he was appointed. Sikhs make up about 2% of the population of India. Thats a fact. And btw at least have enough courtesy to sign your names so I actually know who I'm responding to, thanks.J.a.f.a.c. 20:56, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Very Biased

this article is not biased because they werent terrorists. they were awesome....

Why the bias?

I wish the author had viewed this event in a more rational and impartial manner. The article is not worthy of being part of Wikipedia, and someone should re-write this with some more facts thrown in. The author has failed to realize that this is an encyclopedia not a news article. History and facts written here have to be unbiased and let the reader decide. That's the beauty of free speech and free thinking and that's what Wikipedia stands for! yes but people need to know the full truth about what has happened. many people that do not live in india do not know the pain and agony that sikhs had to go throughJsingh33 11:32, 12 February 2007 (UTC)

He even admits it?

He calls himself( or herself) a survivor. Thats shows his biased admission. If you had anything to do with an event or situation or were majorly affected by an event or situtation, you have absolutely NO GROUNDS to claim neutrality.

Major Issues With This Article

There are two forms of this article that have been reverted to and fro. Both are highly charged, one with a pro-India bias and one with a pro-Khalistani bias. I've removed most of the crud that was opinionated which has reduced the article to about half its original size. It is still *not* neutral and there are no citations at all. Also, a lot of the content has been copy & pasted from other web sites.

I will see if we can get it semi-protected so that the Anonymous IP is forced to get a user account and discuss things on the talk page. Sukh | ਸੁਖ | Talk 17:18, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

I have authored the one that you consider pro-Khalistani, and have references to back each statement. Please stop trying to protect the Indian Government. The Truth cannot remain hidden for long and the Indian Govt will have to pay for its crimes against humanity. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Hargurus (talk • contribs)

It's excellent that you have references to back up each statement - please provide them. Merely saying you 'have them' does not help. If there is credible evidence for 'the truth' then it definately won't remain hidden. And citation does not mean you can opinionate the article. Sukh | ਸੁਖ | Talk 18:49, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

Oh, and I'm with you in your opinion that the original article had an incredibly pro-India stance, but that doesn't detract from the fact that your version was riddled with a similar amount of opinions and a lack of properly cited evidence. Sukh | ਸੁਖ | Talk 18:53, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

Which of the facts do you want reference for? That the military was planning this in '83? The numbers quoted in the Unequal Battle? The record of sham negotiations by Indira? Statements of Bhai Jarnail Singh that he is not fighting for Khalistan? That the Indian Army targetted civillian as well? And if you really believe that the other version is "incredibly pro-India" why do you keep reverting to it? Be honest. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Hargurus (talk • contribs)

Actually references for all of it. All the stated facts, figures, dates and times need references - especially something as controversial as this.

Did you care to check what I 'reverted' it to? In case you didn't, I stripped out virtually all the speculation. Try looking at the diffs [1]. Sukh | ਸੁਖ | Talk 20:05, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

Satwant Singh, Beant Singh (assassin) and others

I realise this may be adding fuel to the fire, but I would appreciate the contributions of more knowledgeable editors at the above articles where there is a dispute going on over how much and what to say about Operation Blue Star. DJ Clayworth 18:54, 31 January 2006 (UTC)

Less of an article in an encyclopedia, more of an essay

This article is more of an essay about what the author thinks, and not an article substantiated with facts or even quotes from relevent people. I know it may be difficult to get facts on this issue because as has been said above the media was not allowed to enter Punjab at the time. But I am sure if we research this topic thoroughly we should be able to establish a balanced viewpoint.

Aseemsidhu 14:36, 25 May 2006 (UTC)

I agree completely, the article could better itself greatly by finding a balanced viewpoint and explaining all the factual sides of the story instead providing opinions.

Moved from Khalistan article

Moved the following stuf from the Khalistan article. May be incorporated selectively into this article. The role of the Third Agency

The Surya magazine published a special report detailing how the Third Agency, a special intelligence outfit created by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s Secretariat, R. Shankaran Nair, was instrumental in smuggling most of the arms inside the Darbar Sahib. “One week before the Army action, Punjab police had intercepted two truck loads of weapons and ammunition in the Batala sub-division of Gurdaspur district. But the officer of the Third Agency, in-charge of Amritsar, persuaded the director-general of police (DGP) to release them and send them along safely to the Golden Temple.” There are claims that Sikh leaders such as Dr. Jagjit Singh Chohan, Harchand Singh Longowal, Didar Bains, Ganga Singh Dhillon, much of the Akali Dal leadership, and others were complicit in the attack on the Golden Temple.

Attack takes place on a major Sikh holiday

According to plan, the Indian army attacked the temple in an assault that was code named “Operation Blue Star” on 4 June, 1984 to coincide with the martyrdom day of Guru Arjan. It is common knowledge that this gurpurab festival attracts an unusually large number of Sikh visitors to the Gurdwara. The question of why the Indian army attacked the most important Sikh shrine on this particular day has often been raised. However, Kuldip Singh Brar who led Operation Bluestar claims that it was a coincidence.[2] and the army had to move in before Khalistan was declared.

The scale of the attack

Cynthia Kepply Mahmood, describing the scale of the attack, writes:

"When it [the Indian army] attacked the Golden Temple complex at Amritsar in 1984, containing the holiest shrine of the Sikhs, the ostensible aim was to rid the sacred buildings of the militants who had taken up shelter inside. But the level (of) force used in the attack was utterly incommensurate with this limited and eminently attainable aim. Seventy thousand troops, in conjunction with the use of tanks and chemical gas, killed not only the few dozen militants who didn’t manage to escape the battleground but also hundreds (possibly thousands) of innocent pilgrims, the day of the attack being a Sikh holy day. The Akal Takht, the seat of temporal authority for the Sikhs, was reduced to rubble and the Sikh Reference Library, an irreplaceable collection of books, manuscripts, and artifacts bearing on all aspects of Sikh history, burned to (the) ground. Thirty-seven other shrines were attacked across Punjab on the same day. The only possible reason for this appalling level of state force against its own citizens must be that the attempt was not merely to “flush out,” as they say, a handful of militants, but to destroy the fulcrum of a possible mass resistance against the state."

The targeting of civilians during the attack

Many observers have observed that a disturbing aspect of the operation was the apparent lack of attention paid to discriminating between militants and civilians. While Lt. General K. Sundarji stated that “We went inside [the Darbar Sahib] with humility in our hearts and prayers on our lips” others have asserted that for the invading troops, “every Sikh inside was a militant.” Mark Tully, in his famous account of the invasion, writes: “Karnail Kaur, a young mother of three children…said, ‘When people begged for water, some jawans [soldiers] told them to drink the mixture of blood and urine on the ground.’” Tully records an eye-witness account by Bhan Singh, the then SGPC Secretary:

"I saw about thirty-five or thirty-six Sikhs lined up with their hands raised above their heads. And the major was about to order them to be shot. When I asked him for medical help, he got into rage, tore my turban off my head, and ordered his men to shoot me. I turned back and fled…Sardar Karnail Singh Nag, who had followed me, also narrated what he had seen, as well as the killing of thirty-five to thirty-six young Sikhs by cannon fire. All of them were villagers."

C.K.C. Reddy, while writing on the army action notes:

"The whole of Punjab, and especially the Golden Temple Complex, was turned into a murderous mouse trap from where people could neither escape nor could they seek succor of any kind...The bodies of the victims of military operation in Punjab were unceremoniously destroyed without any attempt to identify them and hand them over to their relatives...The most disturbing thing about the entire operation was that a whole mass of men, women, and children were ordered to be killed merely on the suspicion that some terrorists were operating from the Golden Temple and other Gurdwaras. There had been no judicial verdict of guilt against definite individuals who had been taking shelter in the Golden Temple."

The Sikh remembrance of the attack as a holocaust

The Indian army’s invasion of the Golden Temple, which is remembered as a ghalughara (holocaust) by many Sikhs and comemorated as such annually at the Golden Temple, claimed as many as “7,000 to 8,000” lives according to eyewitness accounts. The Indian army’s invasion was not seen by the Sikhs as “a security operation but a clash between two nations, the first ‘war for Khalistan’”. As Joyce Pettigrew puts it:

"The sacrifice of Bhindranwale’s life and that of his followers drew attention to the fact that Sikhs live by a model of society opposed to that for which India stood. They were slaughtered in defence of their conception of what society should be."

AnwarA 05:50, 1 July 2006 (UTC)

This is a biast article

LIsten im an Indian Punjabi but whoever wrote this article is obviously against the invasion....I am not saying that the invasion had to happen because most invasions and wars can avoided...But the invasion took place and I understand why...It was because their were terrorists who were a threat to the country...THese people used Sikhism as an excuse to fight against India...They wanted their own seperate homeland and they were using a holy temple as a hideout...They had weapons and bombs and they were ready to fight and some say they even wanted to fight....I mean this article makes it look like they were not a threat at all & that is unfair....Dont forget that Sikhs were part of the army that invaded the temple...Dont forget that innocent Hindus died as well...And please dont forget that the Sikh militants hiding in the temple were working with Pakistan ARYAN818 20:13, 24 July 2006 (UTC)

Much against the spirit of Wikipedia, it is not only apparent but very obvious from your contribs that your opinions are severely biased and that perhaps you have an agenda here. I am a devout Sikh but that does not mean I try to write the Sikh POV everywhere. Remember that the Wikipedia is a collection of facts and that unless you have serious evidence, refrain from adding void statements. Thanks. By the way 'biased' is spelt B-I-A-S-E-D Bunty.Gill 06:59, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Extremely Biased

No doubt Operation Blue Star was an unfortunate incident. However please dont see it as a conspiracy against the sikh community!There is no doubt that terrorists occupied the temple. The author can say that the affair was poorly handled, but surely not that it was a conspiracy against sikhs.It seems that the author does not consider himself an indian and speaks about this as if it were an external attack.This article requires SERIOUS rewriting. Wikipedia is not a platform to spread ones malicious propaganda!!! An Indian

Quality of the written English

The quality of the written English is rather poor throughout and especially towards the end of the text, and is definitely not to the standard of an encyclopedia article. Missing articles, poor construction of sentences and a lack of logical links between sentences all contribute towards the mediocrity of certain sections of the text. The second half of the text shows very little synthetic quality and sentences come across as a random juxtaposition of claims. As mentioned before, the article equally lacks references. It is hard for an outsider to give the overall text any credit as it lacks seriousness and formalism. The page in question needs to be cleaned up!

Vandalisam...

User Grooveguru, has vandalized this article and also some other articles. Please see his contributions: [3] I have recently noticed this however I don't really know how to revert the article back to before the vandalism someone will have to do that. He also vandalized the Cheema article however I have revered that back. Seems like he has some personal vendetta against Sikhs and Muslims. --Street Scholar 09:18, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

The Names Mentioned In the Article Need Details

Throughout the article, there are many names mentioned but they're all lacking clarification in terms of who these people are and who/what organizations, governments, or news agencies they are affiliated with.

The article seems very opinionated

The article needs to be written in a more scholarly way instead of showing even the slightest bias. All the viewpoints of the issue are not completely discussed or mentioned.

The article could also benefit in terms of quality if the grammar is improved.

Unprovoked Attack

The facts are secceded from the article. The attack was unprovoked. On June 3,1984 Indira Gandhi went on the National Television, she never mentioned about the attack. The next day bombshell was dropped.

POV Check Please

The article is setting the precedent by ignoring the Encyclopedic norms of presenting the bipartisan side of the Operation. The articles sets the precedent by starting off with "Occupation of Harmanda Sahib( Golden Temple). This statement is arguable and hence controversial in the fact it is the theory of Indian Government to attack the Temple. The theory is and was contested by many Indian officials including in the Army, Police and parliamentarians who refuted the fact that Bhindrawale was occupying the Temple. It must be brought to the account that Punjab Governor- Mr. Pandey, himself a Hindu resigned after this operation. The article assumes that Bhindrawale militarily captured or was holding up the temple and thus restricting the movement of pilgrims-this is a formidable lie.

The supposedly theory of "Occupation of Golden Temple" including its fortification is the argument given by the Indian Government and is a partisan. As it is still being contested, it must be presented in that fashion. I will be submitting the evidence of the opposite side on the discussion board and then follow up with the editions.

Bias

We can all agree that there is content herein that is sided in favor of the Indian government.

The Sikhs were betrayed...what more needs to be said????

Where is the sikh state that was rightfully theirs? They were a major catalyst in all of the Indian army's history. In 1947 they were a majority of the army. Muslims got pakistan, hindus got India, Sikhs got?????????? They are alwasy seen as seperatist and extremist becuase people who make these comments dont know the whole story. The Hidus always used the Sikhs and still will, because Sikhs can't cooperative amonst themselves..Even the prime minister is being used he was the brain of india bring them out of debt, give a sikh lovea nd money and he will be bought..if this wasn't the case we would've had our own country by now.We cant run a state, how can we run a country.

This statement is not biased in anyway.Please dont take it off.

Seriously! No POV problems here at all! Move along, move along. Ford MF 06:41, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

Former Vice Chief of Army Staff recalls "Bluestar" (attack on Harimandir Sahib in 1984)

Lieut. General(Retd.) S.K. Sinha Former Vice Chief of Army Staff, Indian Army This account of the runup to Indian Army's attack on Harimandir Sahib appeared in the second issue of Nishan in 2001 and was first published in the Spokesman Weekly, New Delhi, July 16, 1984.

Former Vice Chief of Army Staff recalls "Bluestar" (attack on Harimandir Sahib in 1984) While fighting against the army during June 5 - 7 1984, Sikhs inside the Golden Temple Complex at Amritsar were "exercising their legitimate right of self-defense." This is the unequivocal statement made by Lieutenant General S.K. Sinha (Retd.), former Vice Chief of the Army Staff and presently Governor of Assam. "The Army action was not the last resort as Prime Minister Indira Gandhi would have us believe, decided upon toward May-end (1984). It has been in her mind for more than 18 months". Said the General, highly respected and regarded for this sagacity and professional skills, that "when he was GOC-in-C of Western Command, he got a call around 10 p.m. fro 'some in Delhi' that a decision has been taken at the highest level that the army should undertake the arrest of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale. Nothing was heard after the General told the caller in matters like this he would like to hear from either the Chief of Army Staff or the Defense Minister." This was towards 1981-end when Darbara Singh was Chief minister or nearly 30 months before the Army actually struck at Amritsar. "Again, when Sant Bhindrawale went into Mehta Chowk," adds General Sinha, "there was a request to the Army to supply Armoured Personal Carries (APC) to the police to facilitate his arrest. This was long before the Akalis launched their morcha in August 1982 Shortly after the morcha, the Army began rehearsals of a commando raid near Chakrata cantonment in the maintains over the Doon Valley where a replica of the Golden Temple complex had been built. "Another operation involving the Aviation Research Centre with Special F.F commandos, was given in the Sarsawa area and Yamuna river bed in helicopters converted into gunships. This plan, earmarked for implementation in August 198 and then in April 1984, was given up as it had leaked out to the Sikh 'militants'. In view of these military preparations, if Sant Bhindrawale and his men decided to defend the Golden Temple with all their might and means, no one can, and should, blame them. "You are duty-bound to do your all when you know someone is going to raid your house. In this case, the house of the holiest Sikh shrine in the world. "Mrs. Gandhi contends that arms were being collected by Sant Bhindrawale for the last on year. But this was much after she herself had drawn up plans for Army action against the Golden Temple and other gurdwaras. "In December, 1983 two trenches were dug by the Sant's men in front of Teja Singh Samundari Hall within the holy complex but he was persuaded to fill them up. "This proves that till then no responsible Akali leaders was prepared for an armed showdown with the Government." Fortification of the complex, according to SGPC Secretary Bhan Singh, started from February 17, 1984. And that also after CRPF and BSF units had resorted to unprovoked firing and had begun converting the buildings on the periphery of the temple into bunkers and fortresses. This action by Sikhs was a response to the provocation provided by Government's para military forces. Again, toward May-end 1984, CRPF and BSF units deliberately fired some 10,000 bullets every day on the temple areas for more than a week in order to find out from the return firing, as was officially admitted later, where the terrorist fortifications were located and what kind of equipment they had. This was given a deliberate design to escalate the conflict. "No Sikh worth his salt could allow easy entry into the Golden Temple area to any armed force. It is his sacred duty to smash the enemy's teeth and sacrifice his life while fighting." "This is what Sant Bhindrawale and his men did. In the best tradition of Sikh warriors, they fought to the last bullet and their last breath." "for the same reason, hundreds of men, women and children, who has come to he Golden Temple as pilgrims, laid down their lives when were caught in the crossfire of the army invading the holy area." "before this open clash if arm, there were only hardly five per cent Sikhs who supported Sant Bhindrawale's actions or utterances. But then the Government made him a hero in all Sikh eyes. Now everyone, including hid previous detractors, hail him as a martyr of the same genre as Baba Deep Singh who had fought against Ahmad Shah Abdali's marauders." Lieut. General(Retd.) S.K. Sinha

Indian Army Bulletin; Targetting "Amritdhari" (Baptised) Sikhs

BAATCHEET-- INDIAN ARMY BULLETIN Serial Number 153, June 1984 Introduction

1. It is amply evident now that the decision to employ the army in Punjab to deal with the tragic situation was taken by the authorities reluctantly as a last resort. Akali Dal could not be brought to the negotiating table. No final settlement could be accomplished. Unfortunately, the Akali movement ultimately went out of the control of the moderate leaders and the extremist took over. The places of worship became their secure bases from where they carried out their unlawful activities.

The Army Action

2. Being pledged to democracy and secularism, it has been a practice of the Government to honor the religious sentiments of every community. Accordingly, police entry into the places of worship was not permitted, although there is no written law, which expressly prohibits it. Government showed utmost patience in dealing with the terrorists, who had taken shelter in the Gurudwaras and were issuing death warrants, killing innocent people all over the country belonging to every community. Lawlessness prevailed over a long time. Theses terrorists, criminals, murderers, smugglers and other undesirable elements wanted the police, taking shelter in the Gurudwaras, started organizing themselves for anti national activities. A large quantity of arms, ammunition, sophisticated transmitting equipment recovered by us during the action and Pakistani nationals dressed as Nihangs prove their evil designs. Countries inimical to us and some disgruntled ex-servicemen also helped extremists by training them. The temples were converted into fortresses and unlawful activities continued unabated. Some of our innocent countrymen were administered oath in the name of religion to support extremists and actively participated in the act of terrorism. These people wear a miniature kirpan round their neck and are called "Amritdharis".

3. Under such circumstances, the Government had to act promptly and sternly, for the benefit of all of us, to protect the sanctity of our religious places and preserve unity and integrity of the country as a whole. Besides the police and para-military forces, the military also had to be brought on the scene to deal with the situation.

4. The army action has been appreciated by all. Our officers and men have shown unprecedented courage in facing the terrorists who indulged in the most brutal acts of even blowing up our men with lethal devices. The army has exhibited great restrain and discipline by not even pointing their weapons towards Harmandar Sahib from where the terrorists kept showering bullets on them. Those who took part in the action belonged to all communities. Having taken oath to maintain sanctity of the holy place, they displayed indomitable will and unprecedented loyalty. Everyone is proud of our men that even under great provocation they maintained their balance.

An Appeal

5. Although majority of the terrorists have been dealt with and bulk of arms and ammunitions recovered, yet a large number of them are still at large. They have to be subdued to achieve the final aim of restoring peace in the country. Any knowledge of the "Amritdharis" who are dangerous people and pledged to commit murder, arson and acts of terrorism should be immediately brought to the notice of the authorities. These people may appear harmless from outside but they are basically committed to terrorism. In the interest of us all, their identity and whereabouts must always be disclosed.

6. We keep our ears and eyes open; never listen to rumours and malicious propaganda being planned and carried out by the enemy agents.

7. Our integrity and loyalty to the country could never be questioned. We have a long tradition of sacrifices for our Sacred Mother Land. Our forefathers taught us to always live for the well being of the country as a whole. It is our bounden duty now to protect the National interest at all costs.

Conclusion

8. Army is absolutely an apolitical organization. Narrow considerations of caste, creed and communal feelings have never betrayed us. We belong to the country and re-dedicate ourselves to sacrifice everything for its honor, unity and security. Whatever happened was unavoidable. We must learn from it that we do not fall prey to the designs of external forces.

Illegitimate Correlation

There is absolutly no correlation between Bhindrawale present in the Akal Takht and the decision of India to blow up the Akal Takht. Akal Takht is a historical site and religious. And the current article doesn't considers that into account. India was hugely criticized for blowing up a religious place intimidatingly.

Removed A Line Portraying A Distinct POV

I don't have an opinion one way or the other about the rights of Sikhs in India, but I did delete the line "The Indian government has always denied Sikhs rights and they have gone mistreated." from the article because it does not belong in an encyclopedia article. I'd be more than happy to read a thesis on this point if the author of the above line would care to expand on it, but not here.

MauriceReeves 02:11, 28 February 2007 (UTC)

This article stinks

Seriously. I'm amazed that an article with somewhere between 700-1000 edits can be as uninformative as this. Speaking as someone ignorant of the subject, I'd like to know: What was the background to the assault? The article mentions Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, and 'his faction', but what faction was this? I can guess from other articles, but even then it's not clear. Why was it occupying the temple? Why did the Indian army want to stop him? Was there any attempt at negotiation or were any demands made by the occupiers or the Indian army? If this info is in another article, then there ought to be at least a link; I've looked and there's nothing obvious. The article does provide some information from what looks to be an Indian military perspective which seems reasonable (whether it's accurate or not, I can't tell, especially with the POV-pushing or accusations of same going on). However, for a 2 or 3-day operation, there's precious little in the way of times and dates, and the section labelled 'Timeline' has only the merest mention of time. Were all the sikhs at the temple militants, or just some of them? What estimates have been made of the casualty figures, Indians, militant Sikhs, civilians? The one weasel-worded paragraph of 'criticism', which also serves as the aftermath of the attack, seems rather weak given that the public outcry is probably the most significant thing about this operation. Can you guys stop POV warring long enough to put in enough information that some naïve observer like me could actually read this article and not feel stupider on the subject than before he started? -Aim Here 22:24, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

This article is not only biased but it is proterrorist! It is not prosikh, it is proterrorist. What this article say about the sikh supression and atrocities committed by the government people like rapes,etc. is bullshit. At the time of the operation blue star(immediate prior) Darbarsingh was the chief minister. Mejor bulk of the population in punjab is sikh hence there is no question of hindu oppression. After blue star and the black thunder, the khalistanis were finished by K.P.S. GILL who also was a punjabi. Bhindranwale was a terrorist. Many act of terrorism were conducted by the khalistani terrorists. It is also noteworthy that once Bhindranwale is killed, khalistani terrorism was soon controlled. India is a democratic country. It is not governed by the religion. India will not bother about the distruction of any shrine, masjid, gurudwara, mandir or church if it stands in the way of national unity. Such places will be and should be distroyed. The heavy toll of the indian militry was due to the fact that the troopers were ordered to keep the akal takht safe.Sanpatkan 17:24, 11 March 2007 (UTC)

Better

As a followup to my rant a couple of months ago, the article does look like a proper Wikipedia article now. Kudos to those responsible! --Aim Here 10:02, 23 May 2007 (UTC)

Background

The article needs some introductory (background) material. As it stands, we have a chronology of the immediate events. Also, please clarify the authority exercized by Shabeg Singh and by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Fconaway 09:03, 29 July 2007 (UTC)

Assessment comment

The comment(s) below were originally left at Talk:Operation Blue Star/Comments, and are posted here for posterity. Following several discussions in past years, these subpages are now deprecated. The comments may be irrelevant or outdated; if so, please feel free to remove this section.

i dont know wgho was wrong or who was right all i know is the people of my wifes town (i am aussie ) had to lie and hide to save there lives after this attack or be killed its that fucken simple

Last edited at 13:58, 7 November 2006 (UTC). Substituted at 21:50, 3 May 2016 (UTC)