42 years on, Sikhs still await justice for Operation Blue Star
Incident recalled as one of the darkest chapters in Sikh history
Amritsar: It has been 42 years since the Indian Army’s Operation Blue Star on Sikhism’s holiest site, the Golden Temple, yet the affected Sikh community continues to await justice.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Operation Blue Star was launched on June 1, 1984, when the Indian Army stormed the Golden Temple, an incident widely regarded by the Sikh community as one of the most tragic chapters in its history.
During the operation, thousands of unarmed men, women, elderly people, and children were subjected to brutal Indian military action. This incident is regarded as one of the worst examples of Indian state terrorism and hostility towards minorities.
The Indian government claims that around 400 people were killed in the operation, while Sikh organisations and independent human rights groups maintain that more than 5,000, and according to some reports nearly 10,000, unarmed Sikh pilgrims, men, women, and children were killed in the action.
The Golden Temple, located in Amritsar, Punjab, is considered the holiest site in Sikhism. India’s then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ordered the military assault on the shrine, an action widely cited as a major example of state terrorism.
Despite India’s claims of being the world’s largest democracy, Operation Blue Star pushed minorities further into fear and insecurity. Protests against the operation were held in the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, and other countries, while several Sikh military officers and personnel resigned from the Indian army in protest against the action.
Four decades on, the Sikh community affected by the operation continues to await justice.
