Analysis Of Blue Star Operation: An Attack On Sikhs

Blue Star Operation: An Attack on Sikhs

Masses of innocent Sikh civilians, dressed in traditional, Indian clothing, gathered at the Golden Temple on June 8th, 1984. People gathered to celebrate an important religious holiday, the anniversary of the death of their fifth guru, Arjan Dev Ji. Women dressed in salwar kameez, and men dressed in kurta pajama. Priests recited the daily prayers, as individuals listened and paid their respects. Afterwards, they sat on the floor together and ate langar (simple food provided by the temple), as equals. In this way, Sikhs expressed the ideals of equality, and unity. However, soon this holy shrine and its pure marble floors would be stained with corpses and blood. Almost 36 hours of gruesome fighting between militant Sikhs and Indian government soldiers ensued shortly after. For the first time in the 400 years, the 24-hour prayer vigil had ceased.

At 19 years old, Manny heard this terrifying news as he sat in front of the television in the village of Patara, only a mere 40 miles away from the violence. He was instantly paralyzed by fear. Questions raced through his mind at a million miles per hour. Was he safe from harm? Were any of his loved ones involved in the violence? Should he stay in Punjab or flee? His military background conflicted with his personal beliefs and made it impossible for him to think of a rational answer to any of these crucial questions. This was the day that Operation Blue Star took place.

In the Government's terms, Operation Blue Star was a necessary military operation to get rid of terrorists and reclaim artilleries from the Golden Temple. However, in the opinion of Sikhs, it was the desecration of the Golden Temple, and an attack on their religion. According to the Ind...

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...ate, was cut divided into two in the western region by the newly established border. Major tensions have persisted among both Muslim and Sikh communities for years, which directly suffered most from the violence and land loss resulting from partition.

In many eyes, Sikhs obtained their revenge by ending Gandhi’s life. Today, Manny sees that Prime Minister Gandhi had the resources and authority to carry out the attack in another way. There was no need to kill numerous innocent Sikhs, especially on a holiday when the temple was highly occupied. Above all, there was no validation for disrespecting and destroying the Golden Temple, which is often equated as the Mecca for Muslims. Ultimately, in the opinion of Manny, a Sikh with both religious and military insight, Blue Star Operation was not worth it. The costs of this controversial event far outnumber the benefits.