March 22, 2023
As an individual who spent their childhood in a small village in Panjab, I have gained a unique perspective on the politics and living conditions of the local populace, which many of my Indian peers may not have encountered. The Indian government has employed various strategies over the course of history to subjugate religious minorities in Panjab. Notably, Operation Blue Star serves as one of the most recent examples of such measures, aimed at neutralizing the armed supporters of militant Sikh preacher 'Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale', who had taken refuge within the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar. The subsequent attacks on the Golden Temple and 41 other Gurudwaras (Sikh Temples) signaled the onset of a disturbing pattern of human rights violations within Punjab, which has continued to impact India's legal system. In my analysis, I intend to examine this attack from the perspective of the Indian government and compare it with the views of Punjab residents, to determine whether it was a genuine effort to eliminate terrorism or an attempt to silence the local population and quell their demands for justice.
Background
To gain a thorough understanding of the political and spiritual conflict between the Indian government and the Panjabis, it is imperative to travel back in time and delve into the life of the tenth Sikh Guru, "Guru Gobind Singh Ji." He founded the Khalsa Panth in 1699, providing the people with a sense of purpose and the courage to fight against injustice. This religious and political vision instilled in the Sikhs the belief that they had a divine right to govern Panjab. In 1710, Sikh armies captured Sirhind, the most crucial Mughal administrative center, further cementing their conviction in the maxim "Raj Karega Khalsa"—meaning that the Khalsa shall rule. Maharaja Ranjit Singh continued this notion during his reign until 1839, transforming it into a reality. However, in 1849, the British Empire annexed Khalsa Raj following Maharaja Ranjit Singh's demise.
The fall of the Sikh Empire was a bitter experience for many, yet the flame of hope for the return of the Khalsa Raj continued to burn within them. They anticipated the establishment of an independent provincial statehood to control the political and religious affairs of Panjab following the end of British rule over India in 1947. Unfortunately, due to the smaller population of Sikhs in Panjab relative to other religions, the Indian government was reluctant to grant their demands for statehood. As a result, these aspirations were short-lived. Upon settling in the region, they soon discovered that the Indian National Congress did not have their best interests in mind. In 1966, their appeals for a separate state within the Indian Union, known as "Punjabi Suba," were denied, leading to significant violence and bloodshed. Tragically, ten-year-old Shaheed Kaka Inderjit Singh, who had chanted the slogan "Punjabi Suba" for a separate homeland, was shot in the legs by a policeman. The officer reportedly tore out both of his eyes before dropping them into a nearby well, leaving the child with a severed arm.
Identity Loss for the Sikhs
Following the tumultuous events of 1966, Sikhs experienced some gradual improvements in terms of prosperity and access to higher education. However, behind the scenes, a different narrative was unfolding as people began to lose touch with their cultural heritage, and the identities of minorities were left unprotected. Over time, the majority began to mistake the Sikhs' legitimate efforts for the preservation of their culture and heritage as acts of separatism. Despite India's self-proclaimed status as a secular democracy, the reality on the ground was often one of tyranny by the majority. Mr. Ramaswamy, an Indian Attorney, admitted before the UN Human Rights Committee that the significant presence of the religious majority in the Indian Parliament made it challenging to enact laws protecting the rights of religious minorities.
Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, an influential figure in Sikh history, assumed the responsibility of educating people about their rights during a period when the Sikh faith was perceived to be declining. However, his extraordinary success in revitalizing the Sikh faith among the rural masses of Punjab was viewed with apprehension by the country's established leadership. They were concerned that his leadership could foster the growth and spread of the Sikh religion, which could eventually lead to the rise of a strong Sikh state and call for the independence of Punjab from the Indian state. In an attempt to suppress the voices of the Sikhs, the government employed a range of tactics to incite Hindus to oppose them. Despite many Hindus engaging in Sikh religious practices, going to gurdwaras, and participating in daily prayers, some radicals among them misinterpreted these actions as a call for Sikh dominance. They misunderstood Sant Bhindranwale's emphasis on the distinct identity of the Sikh faith as a form of political separatism, either intentionally to discredit the Sikh religion or out of concern for the potential fragmentation of India. Even among the Sikhs, there was a general sense of unease about the possibility of losing power, as many Akali leaders were worried that Sant Bhindranwale, despite his claims to the contrary, might emerge as a kingmaker and threaten their dominance over the Sikh community. Additionally, the Indian news media and several well-known intellectuals contributed to the vilification campaign by joining the witch hunt.
Various organizations played a role in propagating misconceptions about Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and the Sikh religion due to their concerns regarding the safeguarding of their respective territories, policies, and beliefs. In an attempt to control separatism and maintain national unity and integrity, the Indian Government significantly exaggerated the amount of crime in the state and began blaming Sant Bhindranwale for all crimes committed in Punjab. Additionally, extremist Hindus depicted Sikh religious practices as violent and the act of initiating new Sikhs as a provocative gesture. A series of staged crimes occurred, where the police would orchestrate an event, and the government would hold Sant Bhindranwale accountable for it. Consequently, several faithful Sikhs were apprehended by law enforcement, subjected to harassment, torture, rape, and even executed through torture.
Operation Blue Star
The Indian government, having recognized Sant Bhindranwale's growing influence on the populace, made the decision to attack the Golden Temple, the most revered site for Sikhs, on June 3, 1984. The assault, known as Operation Blue Star, was publicized globally as a mission to remove terrorists from the Golden Temple. The attack, which Sikhs refer to as Ghallughara (Sikh Genocide), was cleverly planned to not only inflict damage on the Sikh community's psyche but also to have a significant moral impact on those in attendance, particularly in Punjab. Brigadier Dyer has also asserted that Operation Bluestar was meticulously planned and carried out in complete secrecy, with the specific aim of killing as many Sikhs as possible, most of whom were devout pilgrims with no affiliation to political activities.
On May 24, 1984, the Akali Dal, a political party in Punjab, initiated a new program to obstruct the transportation of food grains from Punjab to other states and refuse to pay any taxes owed to the government, essentially provoking the federal government to attack Punjab. Subsequently, on May 25, the government utilized this declaration as justification to deploy 100,000 army personnel throughout the entire province of Punjab, and to surround 42 prominent Gurdwaras, including the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The attack was scheduled for June 3rd, which was also the martyrdom day of Guru Arjan Dev Ji, the Fifth Guru of the Sikhs, and thousands of devotees had gathered at the Gurudwaras to observe the auspicious occasion. If the government wished to prevent innocent pilgrims from congregating at the Gurdwara Sahib in Amritsar and 42 other Gurdwaras across Punjab, which the army planned to destroy, to commemorate Guru Arjan's martyrdom day, then the imposition of a curfew in Punjab would have been appropriate.
According to the official White Paper, 379 of the 1,592 terrorists who were arrested due to the Golden Temple raid were detained under the National Security Act, (the Sikhs fighting to protect their honor). In September 1984, a social worker from Delhi named Mrs. Kamala Devi Chattopadhyaya filed a petition with the Supreme Court, seeking the release of 22 children between the ages of two and sixteen who had been taken from the Golden Temple and were being held in Ludhiana Jail. The individuals who were killed and arrested during the incident were simply pilgrims and not even terrorists. Bhai Jaswant Singh Khalra, a human rights activist, brought to light the gross violations of human rights that were being ignored by the Indian government. He bravely uncovered more than 2,000 cases of extrajudicial executions and secret cremations in the Amritsar district alone. Unfortunately, he paid the ultimate price for his work, as he was brutally murdered. His wife has stated that Indian security forces illegally detained, tortured, and killed her husband.
Political Instability after the Blue Star
Following the Indian government's attack on Sikh Gurudwaras and the killing of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, Sikhs worldwide expressed anger. In response, on October 31, 1984, two bodyguards, Beant Singh and Satwant Singh, assassinated Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi as retribution for Operation Blue Star. In retaliation, reprisal attacks resulted in the deaths of up to 3100 Sikhs, primarily in Delhi, by Hindu mobs allegedly organized and directed by Indian government officials. As a result of the violence, as many as 50,000 Sikhs lost their homes due to fires. Subsequently, over 70,000 individuals were detained under emergency terrorism legislation in the ten years following 1984. However, only 1% of them were ultimately convicted of any wrongdoing.
In the decade that followed the year 1984, the scholarly examination of the events was limited and prone to intense scrutiny, and on occasion, it was prohibited by official institutions, including universities. The media functioned as the government's mouthpiece rather than that of the people, and the Indian Government claimed that Bhindranwale and other individuals were operating from the Golden Temple complex, fomenting violence, and directing their attacks against dutiful police officers who were enforcing the law to validate its assault on Sikh places of worship. Furthermore, Bhindranwale was portrayed as the instigator of a call for the murder of Hindus in Punjab to provoke a mass exodus.
Following the Punjab police's intervention to quell what was referred to as militant activity by the central government in 1992, the situation seemed to stabilize, enabling academics, educators, and human rights advocates to conduct more comprehensive investigations into the matter. Conferences, books, essays, pamphlets, and legal reports have since proliferated, leading to a growing body of literature on the events of 1984 and related topics.
However, the current educational system faces a significant challenge, as there is a lack of accurate information on Punjab's true history. The information taught often reflects bias and favors the central government's perspective, which tends to justify the government's wrongdoings against the people of Punjab since independence.
Lovepreet Sandhawalia