Back عملية بلو ستار Arabic Mavi ulduz əməliyyatı Azerbaijani অপারেশন ব্লু স্টার Bengali/Bangla Operation Blue Star German Operación Estrella Azul Spanish Operaatio Sininen tähti Finnish Opération Blue Star French ऑपरेशन ब्लू स्टार Hindi Operasi Bintang Biru ID Operazione Blue Star Italian

Operation Blue Star

Operation Blue Star
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.[6][7]
Date1–10 June 1984 (1 week and 2 days)
Location
Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar, Punjab, India
31°37′12″N 74°52′37″E / 31.62000°N 74.87694°E / 31.62000; 74.87694
Result

Indian tactical victory; strategic and political failure[8]

Parties to the civil conflict
 India
Units involved:
Supported by:
 United Kingdom (advisors only)[1]

Sikh militants

Commanders and leaders
India Gen. Arun Shridhar Vaidya
India Maj. Gen. Kuldip Singh Brar
India Lt. Gen. Ranjit Singh Dyal[9]
India Lt. Gen. Krishnaswamy Sundarji		 Jathedar Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale †
Amrik Singh †
Maj. Gen. Shabeg Singh †
Strength
[12]: 53, 56, 96 [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] 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 
700 killed (disclosure by Rajiv Gandhi as alleged by Kuldip Nayar)[28][12]: 96 

White Paper: 249 injured[29]
1 APC (OT-64 SKOT) disabled

G.B.S. Sidhu (independent) Estimate: 800–900 injured[30]		 Government Numbers: 492+ killed (including Sikh pilgrims)[31]
(See Casualties)
5,000–10,000 civilians killed during the operation[32][33][34][12]: 151 
Harmandir Sahib is located in Punjab
Harmandir Sahib
Harmandir Sahib
class=notpageimage|
Location of the operation within the Indian state of Punjab
Harmandir Sahib is located in India
Harmandir Sahib
Harmandir Sahib
class=notpageimage|
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, famed 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, the Prime Minister of India 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 includes 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 and 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 Satwant Singh and Beant Singh.[36] Congress encouraged outcry over Indira Gandhi's death led to the ensuing 1984 Anti-Sikh riots led by Congress mercenaries.[45]

Despite accomplishing its stated objectives, the operation has been described as "disastrous" for the Indian military and state.[8][46] It greatly exacerbated tensions between the Indian government and the Sikh community whm infact came to a situation that demanding a separate state was necessary ( Khalistan). Meanwhile the anti Sikh riots ( genocide) 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.[8]

  1. ^ "'Limited Impact On Operation Blue Star'". Outlook. 4 February 2022.
  2. ^ Jerryson, Michael (15 July 2020). Religious Violence Today: Faith and Conflict in the Modern World [2 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-4408-5991-5.
  3. ^ Brar, K. S (2014). Operation Blue Star: The True Story. UBS Publishers' Distributors. ISBN 978-8174760685. OCLC 1181348326.
  4. ^ Dogra, Cander Suta. "Operation Blue Star – the Untold Story". The Hindu, 10 June 2013. Web.
  5. ^ Cynthia Keppley Mahmood (2011). Fighting for Faith and Nation: Dialogues with Sikh Defenders. University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. Title, 91, 21, 200, 77, 19. ISBN 978-0812200171.
  6. ^ Tatla, Darshan Singh (1993). The politics of homeland : a study of the ethnic linkages and political mobilisation amongst Sikhs in Britain and North America (Thesis). University of Warwick. p. 133.
  7. ^ "Architecture & History". akaltakhtsahib.com. Archived from the original on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  8. ^ a b c d Hassner, Ron E. (2006). "Fighting insurgency on sacred ground". The Washington Quarterly. 29 (2). Informa UK Limited: 149–166. doi:10.1162/wash.2006.29.2.149. ISSN 0163-660X. S2CID 110929395.
  9. ^ "Temple Raid: Army's Order was Restraint". The New York Times. 15 June 1984. Archived from the original on 13 November 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  10. ^ Rikhye, Ravi (1990). The Militarization of Mother India. Chanakya Publications. p. 134. ISBN 978-81-7001-060-9.
  11. ^ Tully, Mark; Jacob, Satish (1985). Amritsar, Mrs. Gandhi's last battle. Internet Archive. Calcutta : Rupa & Co. p. 163.
  12. ^ a b c d e Jaijee, Inderjit Singh (1999). Politics of Genocide: Punjab, 1984–1998. Ajanta Publications. ISBN 978-8120204157. OCLC 42752917.
  13. ^ Prasad, Shankar (2005). The Gallant Dogras: An Illustrated History of the Dogra Regiment. Lancer Publishers. pp. 198–199. ISBN 978-81-7062-268-0.
  14. ^ Bennett, Richard M. (2011). Elite forces : the world's most formidable secret armies. London. ISBN 978-0-7535-4764-9. OCLC 1028210354. [A]n 80 strong element of 1st Para-Commando Battalion was involved in Operation 'Blue Star'.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  15. ^ Bennett, R. M. (31 August 2011). Elite Forces. Random House. ISBN 978-0-7535-4764-9.
  16. ^ Sidhu, G.B.S. (9 March 2001). The Khalistan Conspiracy – A Former R&aw Officer Unravels The Path To 1984. HarperCollins. p. 172. ISBN 9789390327737.
  17. ^ "Lance Naik Dilbagh Singh — Operation 'Bluestar' hero with steely resolve".
  18. ^ Brar, K. S. (1993). Operation Blue Star: The True Story. UBS Publishers' Distributors. p. 121. ISBN 978-81-85944-29-6.
  19. ^ Brar, K. S. (1993). Operation Blue Star: The True Story. UBS Publishers' Distributors. p. 55. ISBN 978-81-85944-29-6.
  20. ^ Dr. Gurmit Singh. History Of Sikh Struggles Vol III. p. 98.
  21. ^ Krishnankutty, Pia (14 November 2022). "In the shadows of Bluestar, Kargil, LAC, India's 'secret' Special Frontier Force turns 60". ThePrint. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  22. ^ Karim, Afsir (1991). Counter Terrorism, the Pakistan Factor. Lancer Publishers. pp. 33–36. ISBN 978-8170621270.
  23. ^ Cite error: The named reference Punjab2003 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  24. ^ Tarkunde et al. 1985, p. 65.
  25. ^ Cite error: The named reference WhitePaper1984 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  26. ^ "The Official Home Page of the Indian Army". Archived from the original on 27 May 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  27. ^ "What happened during 1984 Operation Blue Star?". India Today. Retrieved 12 September 2019. 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.
  28. ^ Jugdep S Chima (2008). The Sikh Separatist Insurgency in India: Political Leadership and Ethnonationalist Movements. Sage Publishing India. pp. 114–. ISBN 978-9351509530.
  29. ^ "Army reveals startling facts on Bluestar". Tribune India. 30 May 1984. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  30. ^ Sidhu, G.B.S (9 March 2001). The Khalistan Conspiracy: A Former R&aw Officer Unravels The Path To 1984. p. 176.
  31. ^ "The untold story before Operation Bluestar". India Today. 6 June 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  32. ^ Grewal, J. S. (1998). The Sikhs of the Punjab (The New Cambridge History of India II.3) (Revised ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 205–241. ISBN 978-1316025338. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  33. ^ Karim 1991, p. 35.
  34. ^ June 6, India Today Web Desk. "What happened during 1984 Operation Blue Star?". India Today. Retrieved 9 February 2021. 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)
  35. ^ Singh, Khushwant (1984). A History of the Sikhs Vol II: 1839–1974. Princeton University Press; Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0691030227. OCLC 769219183.
  36. ^ a b "Operation Blue Star: India's first tryst with militant extremism". Dnaindia.com. 5 November 2016. Archived from the original on 3 November 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  37. ^ Wolpert, Stanley A., ed. (2009). "India". Encyclopædia Britannica.
  38. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kiss_Khalistan was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  39. ^ Tarkunde et al. 1985, pp. 58–59.
  40. ^ Gurdarshan Singh Dhillon (1996). Truth About Punjab: SGPC White Paper. Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Amritsar. p. 245. GGKEY:5BNR2KUYRHJ.
  41. ^ Kaur, Amarjit (2004). The Punjab Story. Lotus. ISBN 978-8174369123.
  42. ^ Tarkunde et al. 1985, p. 70.
  43. ^ Tarkunde et al. 1985, p. 76.
  44. ^ Westerlund, David (1996). Questioning The Secular State: The Worldwide Resurgence of Religion in Politics. C. Hurst & Co. p. 1276. ISBN 978-1850652410.
  45. ^ Joseph, Paul (2016). The Sage Encyclopedia of War: Social Science Perspectives. p. 433. ISBN 978-1483359885. "around 17,000 Sikhs were burned alive or killed"
  46. ^ Anderson, L.D. (2013). Federal Solutions to Ethnic Problems: Accommodating Diversity. Exeter studies in ethno politics. Routledge. p. 182. ISBN 978-0-415-78161-9. Retrieved 14 August 2023.

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