Operation Blue Star
The Operation Blue Star called the attack Indian forces on the Sikh -Sanctuary Harmandir Sahib , often in Golden Temple Germans called in June 1984 .
prehistory
Operation Blue Star was the culmination of the tense situation in the Punjab region , which is the center of Sikhism. According to a census in 2011, 57.7% of the population of the Indian state of Punjab are Sikhs and with the Golden Temple in Amritsar is also the holy place of Sikhism in Punjab. Because of this strong spread of Sikhism, there have been efforts for an independent, Sikhist state called Khalistan since the 1940s . This idea got a big boost in the 1970s and 1980s as more and more radical groups formed with the goal of creating the state of Khalistan.
Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale rose to be the leader of the independence movement. He spread the teachings of the Sikhs by going from village to village and giving long speeches. In particular, he had a great influence on the Punjab youth, so that he was able to quickly win over a large group of young people for his goals.
Course of the operation
As early as May 25, 1984, the Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi transferred troops to the Punjab in order to master the tense situation after months of negotiations failed to come to a conclusion. Bhindranwale and his 200–400 followers holed up in the Akal Takht , a building on the grounds of the Golden Temple. The Indian Army's subsequent Operation Blue Star will be split into two operations:
Operation Metal
Operation Metal was limited to the Golden Temple and aimed to kill Bhindranwale and expel his followers from the Golden Temple. On June 1, Indian troops surrounded the temple complex, the first firefights broke out in which eight people died, while on June 2 it remained calm despite the immensely tense situation. On June 3rd, more than 10,000 pilgrims arrived at the Golden Temple to celebrate the feast of Sri Guru Arjan Dev .
On the night of June 3rd to 4th, Indian troops began to take the Golden Temple. The fighting continued from June 4th to 7th, there were fierce firefights and the Indian army also used tanks.
On June 7th, the operation was over and Bhindranwale was dead. In addition, there was great destruction on the temple grounds, including a library and the Akal Takht. Until June 10th, there were only a few exchanges of fire.
The Indian government estimates that 493 resistance fighters and civilians have died, while Sikhist sources speak of more than 5,000 deaths.
Operation Woodrose
Operation Woodrose went beyond the objectives of Operation Metal and took place across Punjab. From June to September 1984 a series of actions took place which served to crush the Sikhist resistance over the long term. Organizations such as student associations and political parties were dissolved and mass arrests took place.
consequences
The destruction of the Golden Temple and the violence against Sikhs has burned itself deeply into the collective memory of the Sikhs and represents a turning point in the history of Sikhism. The heyday of the Sikhs' independence movement was over with Operation Blue Star. Even so, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale has become a major martyr of Sikhism.
attack
On October 31, 1984, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was shot dead by her Sikhist bodyguards Satwant Singh and Beant Singh in New Delhi . The attack was followed by another wave of violence in Punjab, which killed 3,000 Sikhs.
Individual evidence
- ^ What happened during 1984 Operation Blue Star? Retrieved July 4, 2018 .
- ↑ What was Operation Blue Star? - Quora. Retrieved July 4, 2018 .
- ↑ DISR - German Information Center for Sikh Religion, Sikh History, Culture and Science: Operation Blue Star 1984 | DISR - Sikh Religion | Sikhism. Retrieved July 4, 2018 .
- ↑ What was operation Woodrose? - Quora. Retrieved July 4, 2018 .
- ↑ - 20 years ago: Assassination attempt on Indira Gandhi . In: Deutschlandfunk . ( deutschlandfunk.de [accessed on July 4, 2018]).