by Amarjit Kaur
It is inconceivable that the Akali Dal and the SGPC were not aware of the open desecration and misuse of the holy precints of the Golden Temple, but no voice was raised against this by them. Can the SGPC which has the legal responsibility for the management of these religious shrines plead ignorance and absolve itself of the responsibility for their misuse? The Golden Temple and other gurdwaras were used to provide total immunity to criminals and to those who worked to disrupt the unity of the country.
The recent occurrences in Punjab cannot be divorced from the wider international context. Powerful forces are at work to undermine India’s political and economic strength. A sensitive border state with a dynamic record of agricultural and industrial development would be an obvious target for subversion. Repeated external aggression and other pressures having failed to break the unity of India, attempts are now being made to cause internal disruption, pressing religion into service.
Other questions are being posed:
(i) How is it that sophisticated weapons in such large quantities managed to get inside the Golden Temple and other gurdwaras?
(ii) Was not the government aware that such arsenals were being built up inside the Golden Temple and other gurdwaras? Was there not a failure of intelligence?
(iii) Was there any support from foreign countries and sources available to the terrorists?
Intelligence on the quantity and type of arms acquired by the terrorists as well as their intentions and strategy of action was broadly correct. The arms and ammunition were smuggled into the Golden Temple and other gurdwaras in ‘kar seva’ and other vehicles which used to carry foodstuffs and other materials. They were also smuggled in by terrorists, mixing with pilgrim crowds in the temple. However, the ground information was weak. For instance, while the government knew about the plans of terrorists to sabotage railway tracks and to stage dramatic action against railway stations, exact locations and the particular gangs to be deployed for attacks were not known. While serious acts of sabotage were detected, actual attacks on small and isolated flag stations could not be prevented.
As for the supply of arms, initially the terrorists got them through surprise raids on armouries and through occasional snatching from the police personnel. More sophisticated arms were obtained through sources outside the country. More facts will be available when investigations are completed. There is, however, no doubt that the main distribution centre of arms to the terrorist gangs was based in the Golden Temple.
The government have reason to believe that the terrorists were receiving different types of active support from certain foreign sources. However, it would not be in the public interest to divulge such information.
The action which the government has had to take in Punjab was neither against the Sikhs nor the Sikh religion; it was against terrorism and insurgency. The Sikh community stands firm, along with the rest of the nation, in its resolve to preserve and strengthen the unity and integrity of the country.
Even after the tragic events outlined in the foregoing pages, the government remains committed to its stand that a lasting solution should be found through the democratic process of discussion. For this an atmosphere of peace, mutual trust and accommodation is necessary. In any settlement there has to be give and take, and above all, a commitment to the basic concept that the country’s interests always come above the interests of a state or group.
It is government’s sincere hope that all sections of the people will contribute to the creation of an atmosphere of trust and amity.
About the Contributors
Amarjit Kaur was a Member of Parliament and was closely associated with the Government of India’s efforts in bringing about an understanding between the two communities in Punjab.
Lt Gen Jagjit Singh Aurora, PVSM, who successfully led the Bangladesh operations in 1971, was one of the most capable ex-Army officers to analyze the planning and execution of Operation Bluestar.
Khushwant Singh, veteran journalist, prolific writer and former Member of Parliament, is the author of a definitive two-volume history of the Sikhs, and one of the best-remembered novels on the partition of India, Train to Pakistan.
M.V. Kamath, also a veteran journalist and Khushwant Singh’s successor as the editor of the erstwhile Illustrated Weekly of India, is one of the few writers who has been able to take an objective stand on the army action in Punjab during Operation Bluestar.
Shekhar Gupta, currently Editor-in-Chief of The Indian Express, was one of the few journalists to have witnessed Operation Bluestar in action. Here he provides a firsthand account of the army action.
Subhash Kirpekar remained in Amritsar during Operation Bluestar. He interviewed Giani Kirpal Singh and Baba Santa Singh of the Buddha Dal who performed kar seva in the Golden Temple complex.
Sunil Sethi hails from the city of Amritsar in Punjab, a state which he covered extensively in his years as a journalist. As a Punjabi himself, he has felt and described best the great divide between the communities. He is now a leading TV anchor with New Delhi Television (NDTV).
Tavleen Singh, leading columnist and political commentator, was the only journalist at the time to have interviewed each extremist leader of Punjab.