.....Because twenty two years on, Justice is still to be served...

Exactly 22 years ago, the Akal Thakhat was Reduced to Ashes. A blow on the heart of Sikhism was made. Allegedly, the Golden Temple complex had been turned into an arsenal of weapons by terrorists. 50,000 troops [1]

of the world’s third largest army moved in to Punjab and carried out a full–scale attack on the Harmandir Sahib, also known as the Golden temple, the most sacred shrine of the Sikhs. The army action, which acquired the code name “Operation Blue Star”, left thousands dead and brought an irreparable scar on the Hindu-Sikh harmony.

Evidence exists to show that the attach had been prepared for well advance prior to these ‘terrorists’ moving in to the shrine. According to the Surya 1984, Intelligence Agencies had a prominent role in smuggling in weapons into the complex. According to Gurdev Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Amritsar the 'terrorists' could have been apprehended without any difficulty by the police if so was required, without so much bloodshed, something he told the 'high-up' including the governor of the state and President of India. He himself was in the view that the problem in Punjab was a political one and not one of law and order. Both the Deputy Commissioner and the Governor of Punjab were against an attack, yet the central government seemed to know more about the situation of Punjab than the two above mentioned, and concluded that there was a law and order problem in Punjab.

The Akal Thakhat today stands as a symbol of pride for the Sikh community.

22 Years on... Justice is still to be served to the innocents butchered in the complex.


P.s My view of Pakistani Muslims being friendly has nothing to do with the Bluestar operation. That is entirely from experience when visiting Pakistan and immense amount of respect we received from the locals. Even at Gurdwara Janam Ashthan (Nanakana Sahib) we saw Sindhis doing loads of seva, and eating at the end of the day after serving all visitors. Now that I've diverted from the post topic, I will stop.

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[1] Mary Anne Weaver and Ian Jack, The Sunday Times, 17 June, 1984