Five years back on June 5, 1984, the military might at the disposal of Indira Gandhi, was dispatched in a cowardly design to invade the holiest of holy shrines of the Sikhs ‘he Harmandar Sahib or the Golden Temple. She apparently felt emboldened by her successes in breaking up Pakistan, in bullying India’s smaller neighbors and in teaching the Muslims of India a lesson by letting thousands massacred by the ultra-right wing Hindu organizations and the dreaded Provincial Armed Constabulary and Border Security Force.
And Indira Gandhi counseled by Rajiv Gandhi decided also to crush the nationalism and aspirations by striking at their spiritual juglar vein — the Golden Temple. The evil plan chiseled by General Vaidya and the dynastic leadership was simple. Destroy the Sikh pride by overrunning their holy places wipe out all those who had gathered inside the holy precincts either to celebrate the Fifth Gurv’s Gurupurab or defend the holy shrine, destroy as much of Sikh culture by ransacking the historic library, the holy Granths some carrying the nishans (signatures of the Gurus), hukamnamas, thousands of rare books and the like.
Most devilishly the attack on the Golden Temple was to be led by some Sikh henchmen like General Brar, Dayal, and Oberoi. (All were promoted and compensated by the Indian government through award of governorships etc.). The plan was probably to last a mere two hours or so in the mold of Entebbe raid which had made the Israeli armed forces famous while taking on Uganda’s Idi Amin.
However, Indira Gandhi forgot one thing that she was taking on a brave people, a holy shrine and an evil deceiving cause. Every Sikh who was inside fought like a lion in the true tradition of the Khalsa Panth and gave a grievous blow to the invading forces so much so that till today the Indian government has not released the military casualties figures. Ultimately tanks had to be brought inside the precincts of the Parikarma to wear down the last of the resistance.
In the process the Harmandar Sahib, like before in Moghul oppression times underwent a martyrdom. Lying in ashes and strewn boulder it reminded the onlookers of their past history. On the previous occasions when the Harmandar Sahib, underwent the martyrdom the independent Khalsa state was created within three and half decades in the year 1799. We await the same outcome in or before 1999 Vaisakhi day.
The Indian Government needs to be reminded that every ruler who attacked or desecrated the Harmandar Sahib the House of Baba Nanak lost his rule within years. So be it with the Indian rule.
Israelis Arabs (Europeans for that matter) have been fighting for decades the deadliest of the battles but they haye never attacked a holy place. But the Indian government a self-proclaimed nonviolent nation, embarked upon an unparellel plan of attacking the holiest Sikh shrine.
Today we call upon all Sikhs to say special prayers and to reflect upon the traumatic events of 1984. We call upon them to rededicate themselves to the cause of Khalistan so that the martyrdom of the Harmandar Sahib is never repeated again and never again the Sikhs are hunted.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 2, 1989
