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 were 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 of C.R.P.F personnel kept the militants at bay with their specially brought Swedish sophisticated PSG Sniper rifles fitted with telescopic lenses and medium machine guns (MMGs) having a range of up to 1,800 metres.
“The deployment of Black Cats has been done as a part of the government’s apparent policy to exhaust out the militants trapped inside the temple more effectively. Thus, the deadly sniper rifles known for their precision have been introduced in order to eliminate the terrorists one by one….” (Indian Express: May 12, 1988).
