ਜੂਨ 1984

Who is terrorist?

Whether we Sikhs or Congress and Indira when she was alive or when she conspired the massacre of Sikhs, shared with Rajiv Gandhi - her son to suppress Sikhs by holocaust if she is avenged on her alleged attack on Golden temple?
All this is revealed earlier also in my blogs but this time it's approved by the Lt. Gen. l K S Brar who commanded the Operation Blue Star. So far he lied with nation and Sikhs, held responsible to Sant Jarnail Singh ji Bhindranwala for creating such circumstances by collecting weapons and provocation to attack. In his earlier interviews he (Gen. Brar) alleged the Sikh youths to dump their weapons in a well at Akal Takhat sahib. The recovered arms were displayed before media to defame Sikh youths and to prove the attacks against separatists or extremists. It was well described to Sonia in a recorded interview but my immediate response was if Indian Govt or Army announced any siege-fire during operation?

Whether the army allowed the Sikh youths to dump their weapons and to surrender them before army?

The sikh youths fighting with army were in desperate need of every bullet, every weapon to stop proceedings of army then how could they dump their weapons?

This was sheer lie only. These arms were dumped by army and then to get credit of recovery, a fabricated show was created and arms recovered after the Akal Takhat was taken over. It could only be possible after the Akal Takhat was blown off by tanks and heavy armor deployed to kill last 14 men inside Akal takhat. The Indian infantry had surrendered after heavy casualties, the mighty Indian army couldn't cover a distance of only 200 meters in 48hrs whereas this General had assured Indira Gandhi to complete this task to flush out Sikh militants from Akal Takhat and to capture it in just half an hour and that these untrained Sikh youths with their traditional weapons shall not dare to face the might of army but these Sikh youths taught a lesson of valor to Indian army and stopped their advance at Clock tower and in front of langar hall. The army deployed para troopers but all of them were killed in mid air. The army was compelled to move on knees after a fierce fight continued for more than 48 hrs.
Now this genral has revealed in his book 'SAKA NEELA TARA' that Indira had issued the orders to army to kill every sikh inside Gurudwara Sahib. This operation was planned on martyrdom day of FIFTH GURU- Guru Arjan dev ji when thousands of devotees had gathered inside Golden temple complex. Army HQ had planned to attack on this day with two reasons in mind;
1)- To take cover of the devotees during shower of bullets and attack at Akal Takhat,
2)- There may be all the Sikh devotees be killed inside the Golden temple but the army personals should be saved from firing by Sikh militants, hence their motive to kill all sikhs inside shrine shall be completed and Sikhs throughout the world shall be suppressed forever and they may not be able to raise their heads with pride or against Govt of India or never think to be separated from India but all this proved a myth only.

No Sikh person (militant) was caught alive, there were handful untrained Sikh youths inside nearly 250-300 who faced the Indian army. Now Gen. Brar has revealed the death toll to 15000+ and wounded 18397 which is much much higher than it had in any war with Pakistan or China. it shows the bullets hit more than 33000 soldiers which also approves that nearly 50000 soldiers were deployed in operation blue star at Darbar sahib (Golden temple) only other then the force deployed in rest of Punjab and in attack on more than 40 Gurudwara all over Punjab.
The Govt. so far has no evidence against Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwala of his anti national activities; it can't produce any warrant issued by any court of law or any evidence if he was wanted by any Court in any state of India. The gen. reveals in his book and admit Sant ji as true sant but he writes that the RSS was worried to see the sikh youths being initiated into Khalsa on appeal of sant ji. hence it pumped Indira to take action against Sant ji and to stop spreading Siikhism, its popularity in youths. The foolish Indira followed the wrong advice of RSS cadre and took the decision to attack golden temple without any calculations of its impact afterwards. She had to pay a heavy price by her life. Her son was more foolish who made his friends as his foes. The Sikhs and Hindus were all mixed for centuries but he created division and separated them, now the fruits of division can be seen. Sikhs do not trust Hindus and the congress.
Thus the General has proved by his revelations that Indira ordered killing of pilgrims inside Golden temple, she wanted to gain control in Punjab and rule of Congress there. The US justice department should go though these facts and declare the congress guilty of massacre and suppression to minorities in India and be declared as terrorist party of India by these revelations. The General is compelled to write the truth only when he is suffering from Cancer and see his death near, his son is dead and he now regrets to follow the orders of Indira to attack on holiest shrine Darbar sahib in his life. In the end of his days he begs pardon from Almighty Waheguru and Sikh Sangat by his revelations and disclosing the facts.
Waheguru may do justice with him and give him strength to reveal more truths in his remaining days of his life.
With all this i do hope that KPS Gill may also realize and he may also disclose the facts before he dies. Waheguru may give him strength to reveal the truth one day.

 

ਜੂਨ 1984

9th June 1984

Jodhpur Detainees

After the Sikh resistance had been overcome, only a few snipers remained. Following the execution of pilgrims, immediately after the main battle, those that survived were rounded up, detained by the Army and charged as terrorists:

"379 of the alleged 'most dangerous terrorists' were forced to sign a common confessional statement and thereafter served a common charge sheet that they were all Bhindranwale's closest associates and comrades-in-arms engaged in 'waging war against the State'. They were, therefore, detained under the NSA and are now being tried at Jodhpur under the Terrorist-Affected Areas (Special Courts) Act of 1984. As we were curious regarding the extent of danger these hardcore 'terrorists' posed to the State 'with the intention to establish a State independent from the Government of India to be known as Khalistan", we visited the homes of some of the Jodhpur detainees and met their families or relatives.

The evidence collected established beyond doubt that none of the Jodhpur detainees we succeeded in profiling are 'terrorists' but rather all of them are completely innocent, ordinary persons, whose only crime was that they had all gone to or were coming from the Golden Temple as devotees or pilgrims visiting the Golden Temple for the Guru Purab on June 3, 1984 or farmers gone to the Temple to deliver village donations of grain to the S.G.P.C. or students gone to pay obeisance at their holiest religious shrine, the Harmandir Sahib." Source; Citizens for Democracy; Report to the Nation: Oppression in Punjab (Bombay, 1985).

These detainees were detained for up to 5 years, before in the face of worldwide condemnation and protest they were finally released

ਜੂਨ 1984

8th June 1984

Refusal to Provide Aid to Wounded Pilgrims:

Many accounts of Operation Blue Star, including the SGPC's White Paper on the Punjab Problem, relate that the Red Cross was refused permission to enter the Temple complex and the wounded were left to suffer for days. Many people died of dehydration as they were refused water.

Bhan Singh told the members of the Citizens For Democracy team: "They [the Army] treated the inmates of the complex as enemies and whenever there was any person wounded on account of the firing, no Red Cross people were allowed to enter, rather the Red Cross personnel had been detained beyond Jallianwalla Bagh" more than a kilometre away from the main entrance to the Golden Temple from the Chowk Ghanta Ghar side.

The CFD report, 'Oppression in Punjab' remarks: In accordance with the UN Charter of Human Rights, the Red Cross is permitted to go in aid of the wounded right inside the enemy territory, but in Amritsar in June, 1984, the Red Cross was not allowed to enter the Golden Temple - a respected and hallowed part of our country - in aid of Indians under attack from the Indian Army. It only means that the attack was so brutal and the battle scene so grisly, that there was much to hide from public scrutiny, even if it be that of a neutral agency called the Red Cross. This also explains perhaps why Press censorship had already been imposed, the last of the journalists were hounded away and the Press was not allowed to go inside the Golden Temple up to June 10, when they were taken on a guided tour of the complex for the first time since the Army operation began almost a week before.

The Christian Science Monitor reported on the 8th June 1984:

"On Saturday, medical workers in Amritsar said soldiers had threatened to shoot them if they gave food or water to Sikh pilgrims wounded in the attack and lying in the hospital"

The Indian Government maintains that the attack on the Golden Temple (Sri Darbar Sahib) was launched in order to remove terrorists from the complex. In addition to the various facts covered in the previous write ups, including the lack of arrest warrant etc, which contradict this, is the fact that up to 75,000 Indian Army troops were deployed in Punjab. This figure is mind boggling, why would the Indian Army require tens of thousands of troops to arrest or kill 2-300 Sikhs?

The following quote is from an Indian Army circular which was distributed in June 1984. It reveals the true targets of the military operation:

"Some of our innocent countrymen were administered an oath in the name of religion to support extremists and actively participated in the act of terrorism. These people wear a miniature kirpan round their neck and are called "Amritdharis". They have to be subdued to achieve the final aim of restoring peace in the country. Any knowledge of the "Amritdharis" who are dangerous people and pledged to commit murder, arson and acts of terrorism should be immediately brought to the notice of the authorities. These people may appear harmless from outside but they are basically committed to terrorism."

This excerpt from the official document exposes that in fact all practicing Sikhs were considered terrorists and were targeted by the government.

The Golden Temple was not the only Gurudwara that was targeted:

"The army and police have also taken over 38 temples and other Sikh religious buildings throughout Punjab".
The Guardian - Thursday 7th June 1984

"According to reports from Patiala Hospital, over 50 people were killed at Gurudwara Dukh Niwaran.
Amritsar: Mrs. Gandhi's Last Battle, Tully, Mark and Jacob, (New Delhi,1985).

An article that was published in India Today (30/9/84) details the most vulnerable of the 18,000 "suspected terrorists" arrested in June 1984 and detained in maximum security prisons:

"These were the other victims of Operation Blue Star, little children, some only two years old, who got rounded up. Since then, 39 children have been languishing in two Ludhiana jails. The youngest of these children, Jasbir Kaur, is only two years old, her sister Charanjit Kaur is four, and her brothers, Harinder and Balwinder, are six and twelve.

There is four-year old Rinku whose father died during the army operation and whose mother has been missing since. Like the rest of the 'infant terrorists', Rinku had to go through gruelling interrogation. When asked where his mother was he replied, "I don't know". Asked where his father was, he said, "Killed with a gun". Why his stomach was so big; "Because I eat clay".

Their ordeal began in early June when they were picked up around the Temple and packed into camps in Amritsar and Jalandhar. Two central agencies, the Central Bureau of lnvestigation (CBI) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) began their questioning. There were long, intimidating sessions. The children cried and begged to be sent home. But it went on for days. Their little finger prints were taken and IB sleuths set about verifying their bonafides. One interrogating officer admitted that officials were not moved by the children's cries.

Sadly enough, in their interrogations, the CBI and IB have shown little regard to any civil liberties or laws protecting young children. "These are all fine ideas for newspapers and preachers.We had on our hands suspected terrorists and would be terrorists" confessed a CBI officer.Their fate depends upon the Supreme Court, which takes up the case this fortnight. Meanwhile 39 little beings continue to pray for freedom every day.

According to two of the "terrorists" they mistreated while in prison;

Meharbaan Singh, aged twelve, said, 'We were repeatedly asked if we were Bhindranwale's men. They hit us at Ludhiana jail, and thrust fingers into our necks, wanting us to confess."

Shamsher Singh, aged eleven, confirmed the bizarre interrogation about Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, and that they were "regularly beaten in jail"

1. Tully, Mark and Jacob, Satish; Amritsar Mrs. Gandhi's Last Battle (1985)

ਜੂਨ 1984

7th June 1984

Pilgrims Executed

By the morning of June 7, except for a very few surviving snipers, the men who had held the Army at bay for three days, were all dead. The majority of the complex was under army control. The aftermath of the battle was horrific and ghastly, an eyewitness details how the army had treated the pilgrims who had survived the bombardment:

"[The army] took off their turbans with which they tied their hands behind their backs. Then the Army men beat these Sikh boys with the butts of their rifles until they fell on the ground and were shot dead right in front of me."

Teenage girl's eyewitness account as quoted in Oppression in Punjab: Citizens For Democracy Report, 1985. Commissioned by Justice Y.M. Tarkunde.

Sikh Reference Library Torched

The Sikh Fighters had fought to protect their most valued shrine from harm, and the pilgrims from dishonor and death. Sadly after the resistance was broken, the army had free reign, apart from the rape and murder of pilgrims the most distressing and inexcusable act was the torching of the Sikh Reference Library.

"Any army which wants to destroy a nation destroys its culture. That is why the Indian army burnt the [Sikh Reference] library."
Amritsar: Mrs. Gandhi's Last Battle, Tully, Mark and Jacob, (New Delhi, 1985).

"The Government wanted to destroy Sikh history. Otherwise, how do you explain the fire in the Sikh Reference Library? The archives were set on fire two days after the army action. It was a historical collection of ancient books, Khardas [manuscripts], handwritten historical birs [Guru Granth Sahibs], some of them were even written by the Gurus, Janam Sakhis (biographical sketches of Gurus), Hukumnamas [commandments of Akal Takhat] which were of the greatest importance as the Sikhs regularly referred to them for their research."
Giani Kirpal Singh, Jathedar Akat Takhat (at the time of Operation Bluestar and eyewitness) interview published in Surya, August, 1984.

Soldiers Celebrate by Drinking and Smoking in the Sikh's Holiest Shrine

"Although the Sri Harmandir Sahib was riddled with bullets, the Akaal Takhat destroyed with cannon fire, and thousands of pilgrims massacred, the army were celebrating, people were seen carrying buckets of beer to the main gates of the temple where they jubilantly served the soldiers. The soldiers freely drank and smoked inside the complex. They certainly had plenty to drink, a notification of the Government of Punjab's Department of Excise and Taxation allowed for the provision of 700,000 quart bottles of rum, 30,000 quart bottles of whisky, 60,000 quart bottles of brandy and 160,000 bottles of beer all for 'consumption by the Armed Forces Personnel deployed in Operation Blue Star';"
Amritsar - Mrs. Gandhi's Last Battle", p203 (Ninth Ed. 1991).

Fighting For Faith and Nation

"Bands of Sikh horsemen were to be seen riding at full gallop towards Amritsar, running the gauntlet of Mohammadan troops. The message would be sent round the distant villages, "who will ride tonight?" Death was a martyr's crown on such occasions."
Description of Sikh rebels during the Mughal Rule riding towards the Golden Temple on hearing of it being attacked; Gordon J.H.; The Sikhs (London, 1904)

Among the tragic outcome of the Blue Star attack, was the reaction and revolt of Sikh troops. Although there was a media blackout in Punjab, rumours of the assault on the Darbar Sahib managed to leak out and over 5000[1] Sikh soldiers spontaneously deserted their regiments in a bid to get to Amritsar. These soldiers are affectionately called Dharmi Faujis, which loosely translated means Soldiers of Faith.

Every Sikh soldier swears an oath that he would not let any harm come to Sri Guru Granth Sahib first, before swearing an oath that he would not let any harm come to India. Had there not been a media blackout and false government propaganda, the scale of rebellion would have been even larger.

The Government initially did not publicly admit the revolt, and even later referred to the troops as having deserted rather mutinying (abandoning ones post as opposed to a mutiny or rebellion).

It is interesting to note that prior to the attack the Sikh Regimental Centre was purposefully shifted outside of Punjab to Uttar Pradesh (by comparison, the Bihar Regimental Centre is located in Bihar and the Rajputana Rifles are based near home at Delhi). This clearly shows the intentions of the Government and their view of Sikhs. Military analysts have commented that although the Sikhs that defended the Golden Temple complex kept the army at bay for over a week, had the Sikh Regiment been stationed in Punjab, the outcome of the battle could have been very different.

The Indian Government was well prepared and the Army had already been deployed to check the advances of the rebel Sikh troops who were travelling thousands of miles from 9 different States[2] towards their ancestral homeland. Although desperately outnumbered, the Sikh soldiers faced the Indian Army and fought gun battles in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat in which hundreds of Sikhs were killed by the military.

Those that survived or were captured, were dishonourably discharged from the army, stripped of all their privileges and pensions, and imprisoned for between 5-10 years.[3]

After leaving prison many had to work as manual labourers to support their families, whereas if they had still been in the army they would have enjoyed high ranking positions and state pensions. Nonetheless, they are proud men and do not regret their decisions.

The courage and dedication shown by the rebel Sikh troops is awe inspiring, facing impossible odds, they did not hesitate to stake everything in an attempt to protect their faith and nation. It is on record that in stark contrast to their Government, who was indiscriminately massacring Sikhs, the Sikh soldiers engaged only with the army, and no civilians were reported to have been harmed.

1. Associated Press, as reported in The Palm Beach Post - Jun 18, 1984; 5000 troops deserted in over 9 states.
2. The Ottawa Citizen (Jun 12, 1984) reported that even in the North Eastern State of Assam 345 Sikhs were arrested for marching towards Amritsar to "liberate their holiest shrine".
3. New York Times news service as reported in Gainesville Sun - Jun 12, 1984