The victim, “Bhai Awatar Singh”, was subject to indescribable tortures by Indian police. His abdomen was burnt with a hot iron, arms were battered during interrogation, hot rods were pierced through the soles of the feet and flesh was pulled with the pliers.

Militants inside with hefty sums of money on their heads. The C.R.P.F. ensured that the complex was completely sealed and no militant should escape as many of them did during the operation “Blue Star” in 1984.

In the evening the security forces’ firing resulted in the death of two militants inside the complex and an unspecified number of them was injured. The militants were entrenched on seven points in the complex: three on the Prasad point, one each on two towers, and one each on the Clock Tower entrance and the fortifications above it.

The Press reports said the electricity and water supply had not been cut but the insiders reported later that the Government claim was not true: the power and water supply had been cut. Bhai Surat Singh Khalsa, a Unified Akali Dal (U.A.D.) activist closely connected with Baba Joginder Singh, stated that the rooms inside had been seen to be lit by candle light when a group were allowed to go in by security forces ostensibly to pick up dead bodies.

The security forces around the complex were equipped with night vision gadgets which the militants evidently did not know with the result that when they ventured out, they were shot or injured that top militants had been called by Bhai Jasbir Singh for a “Panthic Unity” session. The police chief when question ed said: “Several of those inside are important persons. I cannot tell you about their names for obvious reasons.” (The Tribune: May 11, 1988).

Are N.S.G. Commandos C.R.P.F. men?

“All strategic C.R.P.F. pickets overlooking the Golden Temple complex were augmented with the elite Black Cat Commandos of the National Security Guards (NSG) who were brought on May 10 even as sporadic exchange of fire between the security forces and terrorists lodged in the complex continued.

“While indefinite curfew clamped in the walled city of Amritsar since 3 p.m. on May 9 continued to be in force without any relaxation, the NSG commandos in the guise