This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 66.38.180.253 (talk) at 20:57, 23 August 2006 (Removed nonsence added by Sikh Terrorist). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 20:57, 23 August 2006 by 66.38.180.253 (talk) (Removed nonsence added by Sikh Terrorist)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Operation Blue Star (June 3 to June 6, 1984) was the Indian military operation at the Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar, Punjab, the holiest temple of the Sikh religion.
Occupation of Harmandir Sahib
Following a crackdown on Sikh militants in early 1984, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale's militant faction fortified the Harmandir Sahib complex. Bhindaranwale along with Gen. Shabeg Singh, a retired General from the Indian army took to heavily arming and fortifying the Harmandir Sahib.
On the 3rd of June, a 36 hour curfew was imposed on the state of Punjab. The period coincided with the anniversary of the martyrdom of Shri Guru Arjan Dev, who built the Harmandir Sahib and compiled the Sikh's Holy book - Shri Guru Granth Sahib. As a result of this, when the curfew was imposed the temple was filled with worshippers. The entire operation was undertaken, and executed by Maj General Kuldip Brar, who was from a Sikh background himself. In subsequent interviews, he has said that initially there was just to be a swift commando action to eliminate the revolutionaries holed inside the temple; However, they had grossly underestimated the firepower and fortifications of the Sikh terrorists. The operation was undertaken in the cover of the night, and due to the immense firepower and sophisticated weapons the revolutionaries had, the Indian army suffered casualties. Gen Brar was thus forced to order the tanks to be brought in, lest his commando unit be open targets in daylight.
Bluestar operational plans and how it went
The Indian Army had thought counted on the operation lasting a few hours at most. Operation Bluestar commander Major General Brar visited the Harmandir Sahib complex the day before the operation and realized that the Sikh militants had prepared well and built defensive positions against an attack. The Sikh separatist forces within the Harmandir Sahib were led by former Major General Shabeg Singh (dismissed from the Indian Army in 1976). Gen. Brar and Lt. Gen. Sundarji, another senior commander, believed there was no way to avoid a violent resolution. Brar went in and briefed all troops.
The first task was the destruction of Major-General Shabeg Singh's outer defenses. Much of this had been completed in the preliminary firing when Major-General Brar had hoped to frighten Bhindrenwale into surrendering. These defences included the seventeen houses which the police had allowed Bhindanwale's followers to occupy in the alleys sorrounding the Golden Temple. Some of them were as far as 800 yards away from the complex. These outposts were all in wireless contact with Shabeg Singh's command post in the Akal Takht. The Temple view hotel outside the Temple complex had also been occupied. Next to it was Brahmbuta Akhara, a large bulding housing the headquarters of a Sikh sect. Then there were three main towers which had been fortified to make positions from which Bhindranwale's men could fire into the Golden Temple complex. Because they stood well above the rest of the building, the towers were also excellent observation posts for watching the movement of troops in the narrow alleys sorrounding the Temple. The tops of these towers were blasted off by the artillery fire. The use of artillery in the dense city of Amritsar proved very costly; many innocent people living in close proximity of Golden Temple lost their lives. Then the commando operation was planned.
It was between 10 and 10:30 PM when commandos from 1st Battalion, the parachute regiment, wearing black denims were ordered to run down the steps under the clock tower on to the parikarma, or pavement, turn right and move as quickly as they could round the edge of the sacred tank to the Akal Takht. But as the paratroopers entered the main gateway to the Temple they were mowed down. Most of the casualties were caused by Sikhs with light machine-guns who were hiding on either side of the steps leading down to the parikarma. The few commandos who did get down the steps were driven back by a barrage of fire from the building on the south side of the sacred pool. In the control room, in a house on the opposite side of the clock-tower, Major-general Brar was waiting anxiously with his two supporting officers to hear that the commandos had established positions inside the complex. When no report came through he was heard over the command network saying, "You bastards, why don't you go in."
The few commandos who survived regrouped in the square outside the Temple, and reported back to Major-General Brar. He reinforced them and ordered them to make another attempt to go in. The commandos were to be followed by the 10th Battalion of the Guards commanded by a Muslim, Lieutenant-colonel Israr Khan. This battalion had Sikh soldiers in its rank. The second commando attack managed to neutralise the machine-gun posts on either side of the steps and get down on to the parikarma. They were followed by the Guards who came under withering fire and were not able to make any progress radioed for permission to fire back at the buildings on the other side of the tank. That would have meant that the Golden Temple itself, which is in the middle of the tank, would have been in the line of fire. Brar initially refused permission, but then started to get messeges from the commander of Guards reporting heavy casualties. They had suffered almost 20 percent casualties without managing to turn the corner of parikarma to the western sides. Sikhs would also suddenly appear from man-holes in the parikarma the Guards were fighting from, let off a burst of machine-gun fire or throw grenades, then disappear into the passages which run under the Temple. These machine-gunners had been taught to fire at knee-level because Major-General Shabeg Singh expected the army to crawl towards its objective, But the Guards and commandos were not crawling, and so many of them received severe leg injuries.
Brar, then decided on a change of plan. He ordered his troops to occupy the roof tops of the clock towers as well as all the rooms along the parikarma. Army commandos rushed in from the main clock tower entrance, their objective being to neutralize fire from Akal Takht in the North. They ran into trouble as soon as they went down the steps - automatic gunfire hit them from both sides of stairs and more then 40 commandos lost their lives in less then five minutes. Amazingly only two Bhindrenwale supporters were firing at them. The next batch of commandos were able to run down the stairs and turn right but here again, automatic gun fire from Akal Takht as well as old towers and water tank hit them. By this time soldiers from Bihar regiment had cordoned off the whole Golden Temple complex, albeit not very effectively. The Madras regiment was trying to enter through the Eastern gate but had encountered difficulties. Kumaonis regiment from the North, close to Langar was trying desperately to assist without much success. General Brar requested tanks to be brought in to Golden Temple, but he was only given an armored personnel carrier. This was blown up by a rocket launcher as soon as it had crossed Baba Deep Singh's Samadh.
Brar again requested tanks and was this time granted his request. According to Giani ji of Golden Temple, who was present at the Golden Temple itself during all this time, as many as 13 tanks were brought into the parikarma and lined up on the eastern side. Expensive marble was crushed and whole eastern parikarma broke. Brar ordered the destruction of Akal Takht and thus the highest seat of Sikh authority was brought down by Indian army.
Sikh pilgrims were held by the Indian army in buildings in and around Guru Ram Das Sarai, Teja Singh Samundri Hall, etc. These innocent bystanders were not given any food or water for 4 days. One army soldier went berserk and fired on these innocent pilgrims killing 70. About 40 or so bodies of Sikh men with their hand tied up behind them in execution style, were found in several rooms. A journalist claims to have seen a whole truck filled with bodies of women and children. There is evidence that army soldiers were served alcohol as well as cigarettes inside the Golden Temple complex.
Timeline
Eyewitnesses say that the army deployed tanks, armed personnel carriers, rocket launchers, heavy machine guns and helicopters. Many of the buildings surrounding the Temple were reduced to rubble. The damage inside of the temple complex was severe. The Harmandir Sahib received many bullet holes. The book itself was hit by a bullet.
The militants in the temple appeared to be armed with machine guns, anti-tank missiles and rocket launchers and resisted the army's attempts to dislodge them from the shrine. The militants also appeared to have planned for a long occupation of the shrine having arranged for water from wells within the temple compound, and had stocked food provisions that would have lasted months. Thus it is a difficult point as to whether the Army could have waited out the militants, cut off electricity, water etc in order to ensure a peaceful non-violent end without the loss of life and desecration of the temple; this was the siege approach taken by Rajiv Gandhi five years later, in Operation Black Thunder.
The fighting between the militants and the Indian military continued throughout the night. Major General Brar, made the decision to bring in tanks to support the military in hopes of finishing the operation before dawn. After two days of heavy fighting with the assistance of superior military equipment the Indian military was able to bring most of the Harmandir Sahib complex under its control.
The success in emptying and depoliticising the temple was marred by the damage to the temple building and the death of civilian worshipers caught in the fire.
Operation Blue Star led to an estrangement between the Indian Central government and large portions of the Sikh community. Indira Gandhi was later assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards. The assassination triggered Anti-Sikh riots in North India killing as many as 4000.
Later on numerous Kar Sevaks volunteered to rebuild the Harmandir Sahib, turning down an offer to do so by the government. Operation Blue Star was followed by Operation Woodrose, in which the Indian government expanded their operations in Punjab.
Operation Blue Star is regarded by some military observers in India and the international community as a military embarrassment, poorly conducted and managed.
References
- Rediff: Operation Blustar 20 years on
- Sikhs in Punjab
- BBC Reports and timeline
- Indian Army Viewpoint
- OnWar Repository of Conflicts
- Blue star operational plans and how it went