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 | |||||||
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Arun Shridhar Vaidya Kuldip Singh Brar Ranjit Singh Dyal[8] Krishnaswamy Sundarji |
Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale † Amrik Singh † Shabeg Singh † | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
Support provided by :
| 80–200 militants[22]: 35 [23][24][12]: 53, 72 | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
83 killed (per White Paper 1984 of the Indian Army)[25][26][27][12]: 96 White Paper: 249 injured[29] |
Government Numbers: 492+ killed (including Sikh pilgrims)[31] (See Casualties) | ||||||
5,000–10,000 civilians killed during the operation[32][33][34][12]: 151 | |||||||
Location of the operation within the Indian state of Punjab Location of the operation within India |
Operation Blue Star was an Indian Armed Forces operation between 1 and 10 June 1984 to remove Sikh militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and other Sikh militants from the buildings of the Golden Temple, a holy site of Sikhism.
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.[35]: 332 [36] 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.[37]
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 but 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.[38] 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.[39][40][41][42][43]
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.[44] Five months after the operation, on 31 October 1984, Indira Gandhi was assassinated in an act of brutality by two Sikhs namely Satwant Singh and Beant Singh.[36] Her party, the unrivaled Indian National Congress, utilized public outcry over Indira Gandhi's death, leading to the ensuing 1984 Anti-Sikh riots led by Congress mercenaries and angered mobs.[45] Despite accomplishing its stated objectives, the operation has been described as "disastrous" for the Indian military and state.[7][46] 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).[A]n 80 strong element of 1st Para-Commando Battalion was involved in Operation 'Blue Star'.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
Kiss_Khalistan
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).