The 35th anniversary of the Operation Blue Star will be observed by the Sikh Community on June 5. The Operation Blue Star was carried out by the Indian Army to remove Sikh Extremists led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale from the Golden Temple. The extremists were demanding a different homeland - Khalistan - for Sikhs. The operation was carried out between June 3 and June 8 as per the orders of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. However, the actual military operation was started on June 5. On June 1, the then Major General Kuldeep Singh Brar, who was later promoted to the rank of Lt. General was called to the headquarters of Western Command and was given the responsibility to execute the operation.

Lt. Gen Sundarji reviewed the Operation Blue Star. Curfew was imposed in Amritsar on June 2. On the same day, Gandhi appealed to Akali Dal to resolve the crisis through talks. However, in her message which was broadcasted on Doordarshan, she gave no clue about the military action on the Golden Temple. On June 5 the operation started around 10:30 pm after Gurcharan Singh Tohra failed to convince Bhindranwale to surrender. Operation Blue Star Anniversary: Dal Khalsa Stages 'genocide Remembrance Parade'.

As soon as the soldiers entered the temple from Clock Tower entrance, they faced stiff resistance from the extremists. The soldiers were exposed to a huge shower of bullets. The Sikh extremist had a huge stock of arms and ammunition. They even fired anti-tank rocket launcher, the APC of Para commandoes when they advanced towards the Akal Takht. When the troops failed to advance towards the Akal Takht. 'Rahul Gandhi was in School During Operation Bluestar', Says Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh.

Finally, when nothing worked, Lt Gen. Brar called in the tanks. Initially, secondary weapon i.e. 7.62 MM gun of tanks were used to neutralize the heavy firing coming from Akal Takht. Halogen lights of tanks were also used to momentarily blinding the extremists. As time was crucial, the tanks finally used their main weapon i.e. 108 MM gun, this gun destroyed the Akal Takht. According to various reports, Bhindranwale and his close aide and Maj Gen (R) Shabeg Singh were killed only after the tanks were used. Army recovered bodies of Bhindranwale and Shabeg Singh on June 6, 1984. By June 7, Operation Blue Star was declared a success. UK Judge Orders Operation Blue Star Related Files to Be Made Public.

While, the Operation Blue Star was carried out in the Golden Temple, the Indian Army launched another operation codenamed ‘Wood Rose’ to seal the entire border with Pakistan.  The Indian Army also sent troops to evacuate guest houses in the extreme proximity of the Golden Temple. Around 500 civilians and Sikh extremists were killed in the Operation, while, 83 Army personnel lost their lives. Operation Blue Star: What Happened on June 6, 1984 at Golden Temple in Amritsar.

The Operation Blue Star created resentment in the Sikh community. The land of five rivers was pushed into the era of terrorism. On October 31, 1984, Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards. Questions were also raised on the timings of the operation. As June 3 was the martyrdom day of the sixth Guru, so a large number of pilgrims visited the temple. Many of these pilgrims were caught in the crossfire between the Indian Army troops and the extremists, leading to tragic collateral casualties. Since then every year, Sikh community carries out protest marches against the Army's action in the holy shrine.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 05, 2019 08:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).