SHIROMANI: Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Gurcharan Singh Tohra today released the much awaited White Paper on the Operation Bluestar alleging that the Army attack on the Golden Temple complex in 1984 was preplanned. The White Paper has been authored by Gurdarshan Singh Dhillon, Chairman, Department of Evening studies, Punjab University. Talking to media, Tohra said this onslaught on the Sikhs was launched by the then Prime Minister, India Gandhi, to teach them a lesson for opposing emergency. At that time that Akalis launched the Dharam Yudh Morcha and the government sabotaged it by introducing the element of violence. The White Paper has been issued to counter the White Paper issued by the government in 1984. Tohra said the government’s White Paper was one-sided and biased and took no cognizance of the historical backdrop. It was a white cover over the black record, he said. Referring to the last meeting the Akali leaders had with the government on May 26, 1984, Tohra said at the time when all the issues seemed to have been sorted out, they were shocked when, after some time, then Union minister Shiy Shankar came to them to tell, “Madam does not agree”. He said according to the discussions, Chandigarh was to be transferred to Punjab and other issues to be refereed to various commissions. He said the Sikh community had been a victim of ruthless campaign of misrepresentation, mis information and vilification and this paper would put the record straight for the Press, the people and posterity. : The paper is an effort to prove that secret agencies of the government were responsible for the violence in Punjab both before and after the Bluestar, he asserted that the Akali D: always stood for peaceful, nonviolent and democratic methods for securing justice. He reiterated the demand for a judicial inquiry into violence in Punjab. Tohra alleged that the Center had failed to learn any lesson from the past and is” playing the same game in the state. He said the Center was now supporting people like Simranjit Singh. Mann in the SGPC polls. He said the rulers in Delhi were only after power by any means.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 16, 1996
