By Mansoor Malik
Soora So Pehchaniye J Laree Deen Ke Haith (True warrior is he who fights for his faith)
Purja purja kat mare, kabhun na chhade khait (He may be cut apart into pieces, but never leaves the battlefield)
These were the verses of Adi Granth being recited by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, the leader of the Sikh outfit Damdami Taksal, when he along with a handful of aides tugged their heels and took guards for the final battle of faith. Bhindranwale stood up as a soldier to hold the grounds and fought to defend the faith even if it demanded the supreme sacrifice.
“Operation Blue Star”, the codename given to an Indian military operation, was carried out from 1st to 8th of June 1984, against a religious preacher who had inspired thousands of followers in challenging the might of so-called ruthless Indian war machine. A saint soldier that lived in our times, a dauntless warrior, who fought against discrimination.
The chilling and fascinating account of Bhindranwale coincides with the anniversary of Guru Arjun Dev’s martyrdom, the Sikh face of struggle. The reign of terror that was unleashed by the so-called Hindu republic under the garb of secular democracy against Sikhs which combined with the level of casual brutality and lack of accountability stunned a nation of 24 million.
Contrary to popular perception, the struggle did not start suddenly rather was preceded by a decade-long peaceful struggle before reaching the point of saturation. Gandhi and Nehru had made certain promises to the Sikhs but soon after partition, the Indian leadership changed its mind and legally defined Sikh Panths as part of Hindus. Even to the extent that the entire nation was humiliated by calling them as criminal minds by Nehru and Patel. The ineffective inquiry, together with the accolades for the Indian army and General K.S. Brar, a handpicked for the operations, fuelled great widespread anger against the state.
To the surprise of many, the Indian government never formally apologized for this massacre but occasionally expressed “regrets”. Sant Bhindranwale had clearly warned that if the army steps foot into the golden temple, the “foundation stone for Khalistan will be laid”.
The scorching sun of June 1984 witnessed an unequal battle between poorly equipped sikhs and Indian might. CRPF, BSF, 9th infantry division, 350 infantry brigade, 12 Bihar infantry battalion, 10 Guards, 9 Garhowal, 26 Madras, 9/15 Kamaon, Para commandoes, Naval divers, Special Frontier Force, Artillery, 16/18 Vijayanta tanks had besieged Golden temple only to kill one Bhindranwale.
Additionally, seven divisions were deployed in the villages of Punjab to quell any uprising. This use of force started on the 1st and 2nd of June, then prime minister Indra Gandhi appeared on Dordarshan, the state-owned broadcaster, pleading to join hands and shed hatred rather than shed blood and the same day her merciless troops gunned downed 22 more innocent devotees inside Golden Temple.
By June 3, thousands of devotees were pouring in to the Golden Temple on Guru Arjun Dev Ji martyrdom anniversary. But the Indian government chose Gurpurab day to carry out the operation to inflict maximum damages to the Sikh pride. Indian Army was sure to take over Akal Takhat within half an hour but this largest army couldn’t cover a distance of merely 200 meters till June 8.
The symbol of Sikhism, the sacred structure of Shri Akal Takht was directly shelled by Vijayanta tanks. The front side of the Akal Takht was completely destroyed and its adjacent buildings razed to the ground. David Graves from The Telegraph reported on June 15: “The Akal Takhat looks like it has been bombed. It looks like a building in Berlin after the World War. Every building in the complex had been riddled with bullets.”
The parikrama (walkway around the pool) was littered with bodies but the tenacious resistance, strength, courage, and resilience of those brave Sikhs exhibited will be taught in the study syllabus to the coming generations.
The complete disproportionate use of force by the govt had baffled all and so far no Indian military or political genius with all its eloquence and extravagance of words can answer some simple questions:
- Why did the Indian government choose Guru Arjun Dev martyrdom day to carry out the operation when there were hundreds of devotees present to worship.
- Why did the government not wait outside by cutting down the supply of electricity, food and water?
- Why the army had denied the evacuation of devotees from the Golden Temple Complex.
- Why the Indian government went straight to the maximum use of force rather than exercising restraint?
- What is the justification of burning and taking hundreds of Sikh scriptures and relics from libraries and Gurudwaras by the Indian army?
- What is the justification of kidnappings, forced disappearances and beatings of innocent Sikh men and teenagers throughout Punjab??????
- Why the Indian government had killed more than 30,000 other Sikhs in one day just to kill one target.
- Why did the army attack 133 other Gurudwaras in Punjab out of which 45 were of great historical significance if the hunt was only for one person and there was no militant in them?
- Why did the government overlook the reaction of Sikhs to a military attack on Golden Temple, which is sacred to Sikhs as Mecca is to Muslims and the Vatican to Catholics?
Joyce Pettigrew in his book The Sikhs of Punjab: Unheard Voices of State and Guerilla Violence has explained the very reason by saying: “The army went into Darbar Sahib not to eliminate a political figure or a political movement but to suppress the culture of a people, to attack their hearts, and to strike a blow at their spirit and self-confidence.”
Gen Brar in his book Operation Blue star-The True Story admits the Nazi styled cold-blooded executions of Sikhs who were lined up against the wall and killed mercilessly. Even the innocent devotees were denied dignified last rites and treated like animals as the dead bodies were piled up in garbage trucks and cremated.
Moreover, the Indian army looted valuables found on dead bodies not even sparing the rings, bangles, and earrings of slain women. More than 180 hands written scripts of Guru Granth Sahib were burned. Curfew was clamped and foreign media was ordered to leave Punjab and there was a total news blackout.
Jaswant Singh Khalara, a famous human rights activist, had identified some 25,000 unidentified bodies killed by police till September 1995. Although the ruthless Indian state succeeded in eliminating Bhindranwale the mesmerizing and charismatic persona of Bhindranwale has not diminished but spilled over to the next generations who are still living in the time warp of 1984.
To forget and forgive the actions of the ferocious Indian army in 1984 is like asking Jews to forgive and forget Hitler and the atrocities that were perpetrated upon their nation. It disillusioned the coming generations of Sikhs and made Indian union with its center in New Delhi as a symbol of hatred and reminder of revenge for their national humiliation.
The writer is a civil servant.
