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Operation Blue Star | |||||||
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Part of the Khalistan movement, the Dharam Yudh Morcha, and the Insurgency in Punjab | |||||||
Akal Takht being repaired by the Indian government after the offensive; it was later pulled down and rebuilt by the Indian Sikh community.[5][6] | |||||||
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Parties to the civil conflict | |||||||
India |
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Strength | |||||||
| 80–200 militants[12]: 35 [13][14][15]: 53, 72 | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
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Government numbers: 492+ killed (including Sikh pilgrims)[21] (see Casualties) | ||||||
5,000–10,000 civilians killed during the operation[22][23][24][15]: 151 | |||||||
Operation Blue Star was a military operation by the Indian Armed Forces conducted between 1 and 10 June 1984 to remove Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and other Sikh militants from the Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib), a holy site of Sikhism, and its adjacent buildings.
A long-standing movement advocating for greater political rights for the Sikh community had previously existed in the Indian state of Punjab, and in 1973, Sikh activists presented the Indian government with the Anandpur Sahib Resolution, a list of demands for greater autonomy for Punjab. The resolution was rejected by the Indian government. In July 1982, Harchand Singh Longowal, the president of the Sikh political party Shiromani Akali Dal, invited Bhindranwale, who was wanted by authorities, to take up residence in the Golden Temple to evade arrest.[25]: 332 [26] Bhindranwale had organized killer squads to eliminate supposed enemies of Sikhism.[27] From the Harmandir Sahib complex, Bhindranwale orchestrated militants to kill hundreds of Hindus, and used terrorism to evoke fear among Hindus, hoping to incite their mass flight from Punjab.[28][29][30] On 1 June 1984, after negotiations with the militants failed, Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi ordered the army to launch Operation Blue Star in haste, attacking the Golden Temple and scores of other Sikh temples and sites across Punjab which included killing civilians and devotees too.[31]
The military underestimated the firepower possessed by the Sikh militants, whose armaments included Chinese-made rocket-propelled grenade launchers and ammunition with armour-piercing capabilities. Hoping to avoid damage to the holy site, Indian forces unsuccessfully assaulted the temple using light weaponry and quickly resorted to using heavy weapons, including tanks, helicopters and artillery to dislodge the well-fortified Sikh militants. Combat devolved into protracted urban warfare, with the Indian forces committing significant forces to slowly gain ground. Eventually, the Sikh militants ran out of most of their ammunition on 6 June, and by 10 June fighting had largely ceased, with the Indian forces in control of the complex. The Indian government attributed high civilian casualties to Sikh militants using pilgrims trapped inside the temple as human shields.[32] However, Indian forces were aware that civilians were present inside, and the operation began on a Sikh religious day, the martyrdom day of Guru Arjan Dev, when many worshippers would be present. Many civilians were subject to extrajudicial killings by the military during the operation.[33][34][35][36][37]
The military action in the temple complex was criticized by Sikhs worldwide, who interpreted it as an assault on the Sikh religion and the entire Sikh community.[38] Five months after the operation, on 31 October 1984, Indira Gandhi was assassinated in retaliation by two Sikhs, Satwant Singh and Beant Singh.[26] Her party, the Indian National Congress, utilized public outcry over her death, leading to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots led by Congress workers and angered mobs, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of Sikh civilians.[39] Despite accomplishing its stated objectives, the operation has been described as "disastrous" for the Indian military and state.[7][40] It greatly exacerbated tensions between the Indian government and the Sikh community, many of whom had been demanding a separate state. Meanwhile, the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 turned a series of police operations into widespread sectarian violence. The brutality of the operation and high civilian casualties spawned an insurgency in Punjab, which would be waged by Sikh militants for over a decade. The operation has been used as a case study highlighting the importance of respecting religious and cultural sensitivity prior to launching military operations. The complex would later be raided twice more as part of Operation Black Thunder I and II, with both operations having little to no civilian casualties or damage to the Temple despite larger amounts of militants than Operation Blue Star.[7]
ReferenceB22
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).Punjab2003
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).WhitePaper1984
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).Official reports put the number of deaths among the Indian army near about 83 and they put the number of civilian deaths at 493, though independent estimates ran much higher.
Official reports put the number of deaths among the Indian army at 83 and the number of civilian deaths at 492, though independent estimates ran much higher.
He also organised killer squads in each village to eliminate the 'enemies' of the Sikh faith, thereby increasing his visibility and reach across the state
Bhindranwale attracted a coterie of terrorists who robbed banks and killed hundreds of Hindus and those dubbed Sikh apostates. [...] However, when the terrorists began random killings of Hindus, hoping to precipitate mass flight, thereby creating a de facto Khalistan, Bhindranwale could no longer count on behind the scenes government support and moved to the sanctuary of the Golden Temple.
Not surprisingly, these rampant attacks on Hindus, orchestrated by Bhindranwale from the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the holiest of Sikh shrines, led to a Hindu backlash
Bhindranwale used terrorism to frighten and intimidate Hindus
Kiss_Khalistan
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).around 17,000 Sikhs were burned alive or killed