Pro-Khalistan slogans raised at Golden Temple on the 38th anniversary of Operation Bluestar

Supporters of radical Sikh outfits raised pro-Khalistan slogans while carrying posters of Jarnail Bhindranwale and brandishing swords at the entrance to the Golden Temple in Punjab’s Amritsar on the 38th anniversary of Operation Bluestar on Monday.

The people gathered at the entrance of the Darbar Sahib in the morning. Carrying posters of Khalistani separatist leader Jarnail Bhindranwale and brandishing swords, the group started raising pro-Khalistan slogans, reported news agency ANI. They were also holding placards with 'Khalistan Zindabad' written on them.

The marbled premises of the Golden Temple near Akal Takht, the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs, echoed with pro-Khalistan slogans.

This comes on the anniversary of Operation Bluestar, which was carried out by the Indian Army in June 1984 to flush out militants hiding in the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar.

Pro-Khalistan slogans were also raised by activists of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) outfit led by former MP Simranjit Singh Mann, who was also present at the spot. He raised the killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala and demanded justice for the family.

Elaborate security arrangements were put in place in Amritsar to ensure that the day passed off smoothly.

Last week, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwat Mann reviewed the law-and-order situation in the state ahead of the Operation Bluestar anniversary.

The chief minister chaired a meeting with senior officers of the police and civil administration and asked them to ensure elaborate security arrangements before June 6 across the state.

The Punjab CM reviewed the law-and-order situation in the state ahead of ‘Ghallugara Diwas’ being observed on June 6, according to an official release.

He also paid obeisance at the Golden Temple here and held a closed-door meeting with Akal Takht Jathedar Gyani Harpreet Singh on Sunday.

Punjab Police also conducted a flag march in Amritsar city before the anniversary.

Jathedar of Akal Takht Gyani Harpreet Singh, in his message to the Sikh community on the occasion, said Sikh preachers and scholars need to visit the border areas to promote Sikhism and apprise the youth about the rich Sikh tenets and history.

He also talked about the need to fight the scourge of the drug menace which has afflicted many youths.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the apex religious body of the Sikhs, displayed the bullet-ridden holy ‘Saroop’ (volume) of the Guru Granth Sahib.

The ‘Saroop’, which was installed in the sanctum sanctorum at that time, was hit by a bullet during the military action in 1984.

Source: MyIndMakers