War heroes to share space with militants at Golden Temple museum
AMRITSAR: Indian war heroes belonging to the Sikh community will now share space with Khalistani militants who fought against the armed forces during and after Operation Bluestar, at a museum in the Golden Temple complex here.
Giving rise to a paradoxical scenario, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) is putting up portraits of late Lt Gen Harbaksh Singh, hero of the 1965 Indo-Pak war, Lt Gen Jagjit Singh Arora, the poster boy of the 1971 Indo-Pak war, and Indian Air Force Marshal Arjan Singh who died recently, at the Central Sikh Museum where portraits of militants and militant preacher Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale have already been installed.
The Sikh high priests and SGPC president Kirpal Singh Badungar will unveil these portraits at a special function to be held on Tuesday.
Other militants whose por include the then All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) president Amrik Singh and Maj Gen Shabeg Singh who were killed during Operation Bluestar carried out by the Indian army to take on the Sikh militants holed up inside the Golden Temple complex in June 1984.
Apart from them, other prominent militants who were active after Operation Bluestar have also been recognised in the museum.
They include Sukhdev Singh Sukha and Harjinder Singh Jinda — both assassins of former Gen AS Vaidya — and Jugraj Singh Samalsar.
‘BUT FOR THEIR VALOUR, PUNJAB WOULD HAVE GONE TO PAKISTAN’
Recalling Lt Gen Harbakhsh said, “Had he not showed gallantry and bravery during the 1965 war, Punjab and Kashmir would have been part of Pakistan.”
“Their portraits are being installed to recognise the contribution they made to secure the unity and integrity of the country,” said Badungar, in a communiqué issued by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committe (SGPC).
Notably, Sikh militants whose portraits are featured in the museum fought against the Indian security forces for the cause of Khalistan, a separate Sikh state.
When his attention was drawn to this dichotomy, Badungar said these Sikh war heroes made great contribution to the Sikh qaum (community).
He said they brightened the India victorious in both the 1965 and the 1971 wars.
“All these Sikh war heroes were associated with these two wars which were fought much before the episode of 1984. They set new examples of gallantry Their deeds have potential to inspire the young generation ,” he added.
PORTRAITS OF LATE LT GEN HARBAKSH SINGH, GEN JAGJIT SINGH ARORA AND MARSHAL ARJAN SINGH TO BE UNVEILED BY SIKH HIGH PRIESTS AND SGPC CHIEF IN CENTRAL SIKH MUSEUM TOMORROW
MEMORIAL FOR ‘DHARMI FAUJIS’
The SGPC has also decided to construct a memorial for the ‘Dharmi Faujis’, Sikh soldiers who had quit their barracks in revolt after they came to know about Operation Bluestar
WILL INSTALL STATUES OF INDIRA’S ASSASSINS: DAMDAMI TAKSAL
Meanwhile, the Damdami Taksal, which was once headed by Bhindranwale, on Sunday warned that if the state government will install a statue of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in Ludhiana, they would erect statues of her assassins Beant Singh Satwant Singh and