Operation Blue Star 1984:

Political intrigue, violence and ultimate disaster

by Jagath C. Savanadasa

The embers of that dark and grim episode have again been reignited. It does seem to happen repeatedly when June approaches. June 2014, for example marks the 30th year of that bloody uprising by the Sikh separatists at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. And the response of the Indian Army through what was termed Operation Blue star to flush them out of the temple, the inner sanctum of the Sikhs.

This time around a Sikh peer has raised the issue of the killing of the separatists, in the House of Lords and asked the British Premier David Cameron to support an open, independent inquiry into what Lord Indrajith Singh called was a massacre. And furthermore to establish whether the British government then under the premiership of Margaret Thatcher somewhat covertly extended military expertise to conduct the operation.

Whether the British government will inquire into the involvement of its military experts or not will not be the subject of discussion in this essay on this seemingly endless controversy. But this is an attempt at an objective reappraisal of what prompted Mrs. Gandhi who was then India's Prime Minister to launch such a devastating operation and whether the level and scale of the separatist uprising warranted such a major armed attack.

Crisis

From the 1970s there were frequent calls by segments of the Sikh community that they should strive to create a separate state for themselves, a State called Khalistan.

Of course the governments of that period too have been accused of inciting separatism, for political gain. In the book Amritsar, Mrs. Gandhi's last battle by the famed British/Indian author Mark Tully and Satish Jacob the historian, it is noted that separatist activity should be considered the product of divisive politics.

Those who engaged in such activity did it for political and self gain but it was destructive of national unity and India's avowed secular aims.

It is necessary to emphasise that once incited separatism is not easy to control. History shows this. One may also note the comments made by Salman Rushdi in the foreword to Nehru's and Gandhis - an Indian Dynasty by Tariq Ali. Rushdi observes that Indira Gandhi, always the pragmatist was also unscrupulous.

The government at an early stage of the crisis that was brewing, learnt that Sant Jairnal Singh Brindanwale the leader of the armed group of the separatists had taken up residence in the Harmindu Sahib compound or the Golden Temple in Amritsar, in the Punjab. Towards the early 1980s a major uprising by the more militant of the Sikhs was in the making.

Quite apart from the gathering of the forces for a revolt there appeared a struggle within the Sikh leadership too.

Factionalism among the Sikh leadership which too tended to be violent was plainly visible.

This in effect is similar to modern day struggles for ascendency and domination by the Islamist militants that operate all over the Middle East. But with one major difference. Whist the Islamists are virtually countless in numbers and there are so many in the Sikh separatist movement it was a struggle within a single sect.

The internecine Sikh struggles of that time in which the main player was Brindanwale climaxed in the killing of a Sikh leader of another faction Nikrani Gurbachan Singh.

Violent attack

Nikrani Gurbachan Baba also known as Baba Gurbachan was subject to a violent attack outside Hrmander Sahib. The beginnings of the struggle that culminated in the death of Nikrani is said to have been caused by the insults hurled by him against Guru Gobind Singh at the 10th Nirankar Convention back in April 1978 in Amritsar.

This resulted in a protest march that was conducted by the faction known as Akhamed Kirtan Jatha - against Baba Gurbachan. A dangerous development, in the course of the march was the action of the police. The police had fired on the peaceful marchers and the situation then turned violent, leading to the death of 13 people.

In 1982 Brindanwale together with 600 armed fellow Sikhs moved into a guest house named Guru Nanak within the confines of Harmendir Sahib.

Brindanwale had met foreign television crews which had monitored the developments in an apparent bid to widen the publicity for their cause against the government.

An incident that pushed the confrontation “over the precipice” was the killing of the Deputy Inspector General A.T. Atwal when he was about to leave the Harmandir Sahib compound after examining it.

The Brindenwale faction and his followers were accused of the killing. This seemed to have set the stage for a retaliatory attack by the armed forces.

Measures to confront

Plans to launch an attack on the Golden Temple included the imposition of a curfew in Amritsar, the blocking of communications and also the cutting off of power supplies. The latter had led to a total blackout. A press censorship too was imposed. The question is, were these strong measures justified? Of course there was planned violence and militancy against the State. But could there have been any other way to evade a deadly confrontation like an ultimatum, to the Sikhs to lay down arms or begin a fresh negotiation process?

On June 5, 1984 the army finally stormed Harmandir Sahib. The operation was spearheaded by General Kuldip Singh Brar. Within 48 hours the Army, following a devastating attack was in full control of Harmandir Sahib. Both Brindanwale and Sagran Singh leaders of the militants were killed in the onslaught. Of course it also needs to be remembered that on the previous day June 4 strong preventive measures such as sealing of the international borders of Amristar and stopping of all supply services, crippled the Punjab state.

Mrs. Gandhi never anticipated such destruction and she is said to have cried after visiting the Golden Temple following the battle.

Perhaps those who over criticise and castigate the Army's attack and Indira Gandhi's initiative in the launch should also remember that on June 4 the day before the storming of the Golden Temple 50,000 Sikhs in two flanks in Amritsar fought the Army. This was a massive ground movement and was truly warlike in its execution. The army had no choice but to meet the challenge of this attack. It led to the Army utilising helicopters, tanks and heavy artillery which resulted in hundreds of Sikhs being killed.

The Sikhs who were not involved in the huge battle against own brethren termed it a holocaust against their race and religion.

The operation according to die-hard opponents of it was similar to the massacre of the Sikhs by the Afghan invader. Ahmen Shor Dharni in 1672 which was considered a historical purge against Sikhs.

Stomy years

‘Operation Blue Star’ virtually divided the nation in those stormy years'. There seemed a touch politics too in the operation.

The heavy criticism aimed rested on four areas. (a) The choice of the attack (b) The heavy casualties involved (c) Loss of property and (d) Violation of human rights.

Reportedly Mrs. Gandhi also had resorted to the attack due to elections which were forthcoming.

A look at contemporary Indian history would also show that India had throughout been driven by factionalism. Even today India is affected by fissiparous inclinations. For example, the Naxalite attack a few weeks ago which killed more than a dozen people. For years Maoist has been waging a battle against the government and much earlier in the South there was a constant outcry for separate state for the Southerners. And finally the Sikhs even as recently as the 1990s called for a separate state of Khalistan.

Just four months after the “Operation” Indira Gandhi was shot dead by two of her trusted Sikh bodyguards. This clearly was a deadly preplanned act of vengeance in which the two assassins were ready to sacrifice their lives.

This adds to the belief that some people especially the militants do no consider human life sacred.

They kill indiscriminately for their misconceived beliefs. They are also ever ready to kill themselves.

The assassination of Gandhi paved the way for widespread violence that ravaged India in the mid 1980s.

Angered by her killing Hindus attacked Sikhs in a brutal mass assault which led to the killing of more than 3,000 Sikhs.

The massacre left deep scars in the Indian psyche and underscored again the grim depths to which some Indians of different ethnic or religious beliefs could drive themselves into, once their passions are aroused.

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