Amritsar turns into a fortress on Operation Blue Star anniversary

Heightened security is in place in Amritsar and other parts of Punjab on the eve of Operation Blue Star anniversary.  

 

On the eve of 32nd anniversary of operation Bluestar Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has appealed to the people to exercise restraint as they observe the anniversary of the operation.

 

Additional police and paramilitary forces have been deployed in Amritsar, Ludhiana, Patiala and Jalandhar. About 8000 police personnel and extra paramilitary forces are deployed in the city and several check points have been erected. 

 

The CM has also assured of continued crackdown on radical Sikhs across the state.

 

The security forces have detained members of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), including the group’s top leader Rajinder Singh Fauji and Damdami Taksal as a precautionary measure. A radical Sikh group Dal Khalsa has called to observe a bandh in Amritsar today.

 

Last two years have witnessed clashes between radical Sikhs and security forces.

 

According to intelligence input, radical groups might cause trouble as the state observes Blue Star at Akal Takht Sahib inside Golden Temple Complex.  

           

Thirty-two years back, Indian military forces had entered the premises of the Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib), the holiest shrine of the Sikhs, to flush out extremist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and other radical Sikh activists. Bhindranwale belonged to Damdami Taksal group, which demanded implementation of Anandpur resolution.

 

The controversial six-day crackdown operation, was ordered by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, began on June 3.

 

The decision to allow military forces to storm into the temple has been a controversial decision by the Indira Gandhi government. The decision has been controversial as artilleries were allowed inside the holy place, there was resentment within the armed forces to enter the holy shrine and the entire flush out mission happened without media presence. There were reports of human rights abuse during the crackdown and various media reports suggest that hundreds were killed during the operation.