On the 40th anniversary of Operation Blue Star, tensions flared at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab, as pro-Khalistan slogans were raised on Thursday. Several members of the Sikh community, wielding posters of slain separatist leader, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, gathered to mark the anniversary.

Among those raising slogans and displaying Bhindranwale’s posters was the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) chief Simranjit Singh Mann. Meanwhile, security was tightened around the area, with increased police presence and barricades.

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“Security arrangements have been made here. Forces have been deployed and barricading has been done. Any untoward incident will be monitored,” said Senior Superintendent of Police SS Randhawa Singh, PTI reported.

What was Operation Blue Star and who was Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale?

Operation Blue Star, conducted in June 1984, was aimed at removing Sikh militants, including Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, from the Golden Temple complex in Punjab. Bhindranwale, the leader of the Damdami Taksal, and his armed followers were killed during this operation, which was launched by the Indian armed forces to flush out the militants from the temple complex.

On June 6, 1984, the Indian Army conducted a military operation inside the Golden Temple on the directive of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The objective was to quell Sikh militancy led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in Punjab. Reports indicated that Bhindranwale had concealed large amounts of arms within the temple premises.

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The operation was heavily criticized, and later that year, on October 31, 1984, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her Sikh bodyguards at her residence in New Delhi. Beant Singh and Satwant Singh, who were once Indira Gandhi’s bodyguards, assassinated her on October 31, 1984, at her home.

In the recent Lok Sabha elections, Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa, son of one of Indira Gandhi’s bodyguards, Beant Singh, won the Faridkot constituency by 70,053 votes, defeating Aam Aadmi Party leader Karamjit Singh Anmol.

Retired Lt. Gen Kuldeep Singh Brar, who led the 1984 Operation Bluestar to tackle extremists at the Golden Temple, stated that Indira Gandhi allowed militant leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale to become powerful, comparing it to creating a “Frankenstein monster.”

He mentioned that action was taken only when it was too late. Brar claimed that the political leadership at the time allowed the Bhindranwale cult to grow, citing tensions between the Akali and Congress parties.