Pro-Khalistan slogans were raised at the Golden Temple premises in Amritsar on Sunday to mark the 37th anniversary of Operation Blue Star. Operation Blue Star was the military action ordered by then prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1984 to evict Sikh militants who had used the Golden Temple as a base. The action damaged the revered shrine and left hundreds dead.
The controversial action inflamed sentiments among Sikhs, resulting in the assassination of Indira Gandhi later that year, which in turn sparked retaliation against the minority community.
On Sunday, a large number of youth carried banners and placards saying 'Khalistan Zindabad'. Pro-Khalistan slogans were also raised by supporters of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Mann) outfit at the Akal Takht, which is the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs.
Deep Sidhu, the actor-activist who had been arrested in connection with the violence at the Red Fort during the farmers' protest on Republic Day, was also present at the Golden Temple with former MP Simranjit Singh Mann.
Delivering his sermon, Jathedar of Akal Takht Gyani Harpreet Singh described Operation Blue Star as "da ghallughara (holocaust) of 84".
The Tribune reported, "Referring to blood-stained pages of Sikh history, Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh said that like the earlier massacres of Sikhs in 1746 and 1762 by the Mughal empire were termed as chhota ghallughara and vadda ghallughara in which 7,000 and 35,000 Sikhs were killed, respectively, the 1984 Army attack was nothing short of it.”
Harpreet Singh was quoted by The Tribune as saying, "Like, the earlier two ‘ghallugharas’, the third one occurred in 1984 when the Indian Army attacked the Golden Temple, the way China and Pakistan attacked India in 1962 and 1965. Upon attack, the Indian authorities did worse than what the winning forces did with the defeated nation’s citizens."
He alleged the violence against Sikhs was not restricted to Amritsar alone. "It was not constrained to Amritsar only. In 1984, the genocide had started on the streets of Delhi, Kanpur, Tata Nagar and other areas between November 1-4. Hence, it should be termed as '84 da ghallughara,'" The Tribune quoted him as saying. Harpreet Singh justified the shouting of pro-Khalistan slogans.
