Pro-Khalistan slogans raised in Golden Temple

Brandishing of swords, pro-Khalistan slogans and turbans tossed in clash marked the 35th anniversary of Operation Bluestar at the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar on Thursday.

The police dressed in plain clothes and the task force of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC) de-escalated the situation. Sikh radical youth wearing T-shirts bearing the image of Khalistan ideologue and slain militant Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale raised pro-Khalistan slogans. They brandished swords and clashed with the SGPC task force.

Takht acting Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh delivered the customary public address from the podium of the Akal Takht, the supreme temporal seat of Sikhism. The parallel Jathedar Dhyan Singh Mand also delivered a speech which led to raised tempers. Some radical elements purportedly also raised anti-India slogans.

Portraits and posters of slain militant Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale were freely available outside the Sikh shrine. A section of the people, especially the radicals, remained charmed with the slain militant’s T-shirts, mugs and other memorabilia that were sold outside.

Bhindranwale and his supporters took to guns seeking Khalistan and were killed in the military operation in 1984 when the Army stormed inside the sacred Golden temple to flush out militants holed up inside. The slain Khalistan ideologue was declared a martyr by the Akal Takht in 2003. The Bombay High Court recently dismissed a writ petition that urged the court to delete the reference of Sikh leader Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale as ‘terrorist’ from school history textbooks. The grounds in the petition did not impress the bench as they disagreed with the contention of the petitioner that a ‘saint’ is projected as a terrorist.

The holy city is turned into a fortress. Intel reports had suggested an ISI project to target retired Military and police officials in a bid to revive militancy in Punjab. However, during a high-level meeting chaired by chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday to review Punjab’s internal security and law and order, Capt raised doubts about the authenticity of alleged Intel report.