Operation Blue Star anniversary fails to make a splash despite hype

The anniversary of Op Blue Star passed off without a ripple, despite hype marshalled by Khalistani separatists.

With heavy police and SGPC task force deployment inside the Shrine and ample security arrangements across the city, radical elements failed to create any flutter that the city was warned against. Radical outfit Dal Khalsa that had organised a remembrance parade on Monday failed to pull off the ‘Bandh’ (shutdown) that they had called for. The social media accounts of the outfit were suspended on Sunday itself following intel reports.

The peaceful anniversary is being credited to the recent meeting between SGPC Chief Harjinder Singh Dhami and Home Minister Amit Shah recently. Though meeting was conducted as a negotiation ordered by Delhi High court in the 38 year old case of Operation Blue Star, but according to official statements of both SGPC and Home ministry the case was not discussed. The first meeting between Sikh statutory body and Home Minister was pivoted around various issues pertaining to functioning of Gurdwaras and other SGPC matters, including inclusion of Gurdwaras under the management of the SGPC board to streamline functioning.

At the convention, Akal Takht officiating Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh addressed the gathering and while it talked about Sikh unity and strength, no reference was made to Khalistan even as few present raised slogans and flashed posters of slain terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.  He called upon all Sikh sects to join hands to work in the direction of strengthening the ‘Sikh shakti’ especially from the rural belt, while expecting the least from the governments. Jathedar said that the scars of 1984 attack makes the Sikhs ‘mazboot’ (strong), not ‘majboor’ (helpless), as was being narrated in a derogatory manner on the social media. Substantial number of devotees early in the morning thronged the Akal Takht — the highest temporal seat of Sikh religion — to attend the ‘bhog’ ceremony of religious prayers that began on June 4. The families of those who were killed during ‘Operation Bluestar’ were honoured.

The key highlight of the anniversary was ‘darshan’ (glimpse) of the particular bullet ridden Sri Guru Granth Sahib ‘saroop’ that got hurt during ‘Operation Bluestar’ in June 1984. The ‘saroop’ was specially enshrined for today along with the shell of the bullet that was believed to have hit the ‘saroop’. The bullet had damaged its cover and 90 ‘angs’ (pages) before getting lodged in the ‘saroop’. The conservation of the handwritten ‘saroop’ was undertaken by experts, who retained some damage marks on it. The original bullet mark on the cover of the holy script has been kept ‘as it is’. The holy relic was part of evidence of the Operation Bluestar damage claims.

Also read: SGPC President Dhami meets Home Minister Amit Shah for the first time in Delhi ahead of Op Blue Star anniversary