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Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was the leader of Damdami taksal, a Sikh organization based in the Punjab. He became famous in the late 1970s as a religious preacher. He was brought into politics by the son of Indira Ghandi, who wanted to use him as a 'puppet leader' to subdue the Sikh people. After he got involved in state politics, the demand of a separate Sikh state was called for, as promises by the Indian government, made at the time of the independence of India from the British Empire, had not been fulfilled. These included autonomy for the Sikh people, and an alliance with the Indian goevernment as partners and equals. He preached the teachings of the Sikh Gurus, and asked the people to stand up to the oppression they faced.

He established his headquarters in the Golden Temple also known as Harmindar Sahib, located in Amritsar. Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, decided to storm the temple have him evicted, and sent Indian troops and heavy machinery and arms to remove him. A fierce battle broke out in which thousand of people died. Many of these people were inoccent Sikhs who were not allowed to leave the Harminder Sahib by Indian troops, and were indiscriminately gunned down. Bhindranwale is said to have been one of them.

After the blood bath the troops took trophy pictures of dead Sikh men, women and children aswell as the damage they had inflicted on the holy site. The press were let back in Punjab after the 36 hour black out and shown the arms they supposedly recovered from the site. They then released pictures of aftermath of the battle. One of the pictures released showed the bullet ridden mortal remains of Sant Bindranwale. Another showed Indian soldiers posing while laughing and smiling at the destruction of the Sri Akal Takht, which represents the Sikh parliment. For Sikhs it was their 9/11 and a wake up call that their faith, homeland, institutions, identity, independance and freedom were under attack.

Indira Gandhi had become to the Sikhs, what Hitler was to the Jews. In retaliation for this henious act Indira Gandhi was assasinated by two of here Sikh bodyguards. For the murders of thousands of innocent Sikhs, she paid the ultimate price, and her alone. In the following hours after the news broke of her death, organised pograms against Sikhs were ordered by her son Sanjiv Gandhi and Senior Congress party leaders. TV and Radio stations were told to play broadcasts to work up the Indian population calling for "blood for blood". Soon after cadres of Bajrang Dal, Hindu terrorist group linked to VHP, joined the call and caused an orgy of violence and terror targetting thousands upon thousands of innocent Sikh households and places of worship. Stabbing, shooting and burning to death Sikh men and children, many with having tyres placed around their necks before raping and slaying Sikh women.

Angered and hurt by events many Sikhs turned to militancy and became fighters for Khalistan. Some Sikhs who crossed into Pakistan to seek refuge were given weapons and training by the Pakistani ISI and backed by the American CIA who was covertly fighting against Soviet allied India. The Indian government then used terrorism and genocide to wipe out most of the resistence by sending its armed forces into the Punjab, northern India and other places with large Sikh communities, indiscriminately killing men, women and children. Young and old. Imprisoning thousands of men for no other reason than that they were Sikhs. Many thousands are still imprisoned to this day, without charge, some 20 years later.

Bhindranwale on the other hand became a shaheed (martyr) in eyes of Sikhs, he stated "Physical death I do not fear, but death of conscience is a sure death". He is a legend amongst Sikhs and is considered one of their greatest 20th century heroes in a history which is glorified by martyrdom in the face of tyranny and oppression.

True to his word, he and his fighters fought valiantly, defending fiercely the spiritual home of Sikhism against the shocking and desperate attacks from vast numbers of Indian army personnel. To this day Bhindranwale is now referred to as Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale Ji. In one of Sant Bhindranwale's famous speeches he stated if the golden temple was attacked it would lay the foundation stone of Khalistan. And so the movement of Khalistan gained strength after operation blue star and remains the goal of Sikhs wanting a homeland free from persecution and discrimination.