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Unveiling the Truth of Operation
Bluestar
Dilpreet Singh
 FREMONT: Though
24 years have gone by, Sikhs have not forgotten the ignominy hurled
at them by the Indian state in the name of Operation Bluestar. Far
and wide, Sikhs assemble in Gurdwaras during this week and revisit
the truth of the events which has brutally affected the psyche of
the Sikhs. Far from Punjab, reiterating the spirit of not to
forget, the Executive director of the Sikh Research Institute,
Harinder Singh painstakingsly scrutinized the details of the tragic
event and narrated that the Indian state did not want to merely
arrest some individuals but to break the backbone of the Sikhs.
That it was unable to do is a reflection of the commitment and
determination of the Sikhs who fought valiantly and laid down their
lives.
He said that the
propaganda of the government was nothing but a bunch of lies and he
dispelled the entire falsehood of the Indian propaganda machinery by
resorting to facts and figures in a well prepared and executed
presentation at the Gurdwara Fremont here.
Harinder Singh’s
opening remarks were quiet telling. He pointed out that the
operation was to subvert and suppress a peaceful Sikh-led civil
disobedience movement. Of the 38 wanted “terrorists,” 22 were out of
the country and the Darbar Sahib was attacked on one the busiest
days of the year, the martydom day of Guru Arjan Sahib. A total of
nine infantry divisions were utilized, between 70,000 to 150,000
troops, and both chemical poisoning and tanks were used to arrest 38
people? It is unheard of to need any sort of infantry or tanks to
arrest anyone. Similarly suspicious is that
Punjab was
cordoned for five days, meaning no one could enter or leave the
state and electricity was turned off.
Harinder Singh
also nailed the lie being perpetuated worldwide that it was an
off-the-cuff operation. He explained in depth how meticulous
preparations by the Indian government were carried out at Chakrata,
near Dehradun for 18 months and also that the government had set up
what it euphemistically called, the Third Agency to spread
misinformation enabling the government to garner the majority Hindu
vote.
The fact that
the Akal Takht, the Sikh reference library, and 37 other shrines
were attacked or burned down only makes one question the
government’s true intentions. Operation Blue star’s aftermath was
fishy as well; in fact, casualty numbers were reported to be less
than 493 by the government whereas the Citizens for Democracy
reported 8,000 deaths. According to the Christian Science Monitor,
medical workers were threatened to be killed by soldiers if they
were found giving any sort of assistance to Sikhs. Harinder
identified many officers within the army who found themselves in
dissent with the operation and either retired early, returned their
medals, or criticized it publicly.
Harinder Singh
emphasized the need to observe the commemoration every year and paid
tributes to Sant Jarnail Singh Khalsa Bhindranwale.
Harinder Singh
provided solid evidence from independent sources, avoiding
propaganda totally. Operation Bluestar was ultimately, according to
Harinder, not a singular event but rather the culmination of a
rehearsed and calculated process to suppress Sikh religion and
confidence. Joyce Pettigrew has stated that the army’s intentions
were to “attack their [Sikhs] heart, to strike a blow at their
spirit, and self confidence.” Nevertheless, Harinder urged the Sikh
community, especially in Diaspora, to attempt to understand the
dynamics between the Sikh population and the Indian state. He
suggested that it was imperative to channelize Sikh anger and one
such way was to build a monument to Sikh martyrs and continue our
struggle for justice.
18
June,
2008
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