CHANDIGARH: Within the 24 hours of the declaration of Khalistan by the Panthic Committee from the Golden Temple Comp ex, Amritsar. Commandos of National Security Guard and special Security Force raided the Golden Temple Complex around 4:30 p.m., on April 30th, 1986. In two days long action, Security Forces searched almost all the rooms and all the comers in the Golden Temple Complex and arrested more than 300 devotees engaged in the Kar Sewa of the Akal Takht. The Jathedar of Akal Takht, Bhai Gurdev Singh and Jathedar of the United Akali Dal, Mr. Surat Singh were among those who were rounded up. The main operation took place against All India Sikh Student Federation and Damdami Taksal. It was started by the commandos and the Security Forces when they entered the Parkarma around 10:30 p.m. Six hundred Commandos who were airlifted to Amritsar, the same morning, went inside the Parkarma with their high-neck shoes. The acting Jathedar of Akal Takht, Bhai Gurdv Singh, and his twenty-four supporters were reportedly staying in a room in the Parkarma; there was a complete black-out in the Golden Temple Complex. The Commandos who were carrying ma chine-guns continued the firing throughout the night: The Commandos threw 200 stun-bombs ‘and hand grenades throughout the ‘Complex. The Parkarma has been ‘extremely damaged by the bombs and the firing. More than half dozen Taksal and A.I.S.S.F. workers who tried to prevent the Commandos to enter the Golden Temple Complex were killed and few others were injured. Morning religious rites and As a Di War could not be performed on the morning ‘of May 1st as the firing from the Commandos was still going on. The last batch led by Jethedar of ‘Akal Takht that had taken refuge inside the Golden Temple was captured around 6:30 in the morning on May. The floors of the Darshani Deodhi were full of blood stains because two young-men in their effort to stop the Commandos were killed or injured at this place. Most of the devotees who had come to Darbar Sahib on the eve of Parkash Utsav of Guru Arjun Dev Ji could not leave the Complex as the curfew was clamped immediately, before the starting of the operation on April 30th, 1986.
Though the control of the Complex was handed over to the S.G.P.C authorities on May 3rd. The plain clothes policemen, in good number, are still inside the Complex to assist the S.G.P.C. Twelve bore pistol, one revolver, one twelve bore gun and one rile, from the various parts of the Complex, were found during the intense search but later it was found that most of these arms were licensed. The Security Forces also raided two dozen other Gurdwaras from May 1st to May 4th. Six were arrested from Gurdwara Katana Sahib in Ludhiana District and twenty people were arrested from Gurdwara Samadhian near Amritsar and Darbar Sahib Tarn .
Police searched almost all prominent Gurdwaras in district Gurdaspur and Kapurthala. Police also arrested eight persons from Gurdwara Shaheedan in Amritsar. The Security Forces could not arrest even a single wanted freedom fighter from the temple complex or from any other Gurdwara.
All the five members of the Panthic Committee and All India Sikh Student Federation leader, Mr. Harinder Singh Kablon, and Mr. Gurjeet Singh escaped before the police action started. About 400 ‘Sikhs arrested from the Temple Complex and the other Gurdwaras have been sent to special interrogation center under the control of C.R.P.F., C.B.I. And B.S.F.
Article extracted from this publication >> May 9, 1986
