Op Bluestar bullet marks being encased in glass at Golden Temple
AMRITSAR: In a bid to keep intact damage done during Operation Bluestar in June 1984, work to encase the bullet marks in steelframed glass began on Sunday at the Golden Temple. SGPC president Gobind Singh Longowal and head granthi of Harmandar Sahib Giani Jagtar Singh were present on the occasion.
After around 35 years, the apex gurdwara body decided to preserve the relics of the army operation with the help of technical experts and architects. SGPC chief secretary Roop Singh, said, “The preservation is a technical task and we have enlisted the services of experts. It will take three months to complete.”
These bullet marks can be seen on one of the entrances of the gurdwara called as ‘karah parshad wali bahi’ (the entrance to the place where karah parshad is prepared) in local parlance. After Teja Singh Samundari Hall, headquarters of the SGPC, was whitewashed and renovated few years ago, while keeping bullet marks intact, this structure has remained the only one which was not re-touched or altered. It is the only surviving structure which endured maximum damage.
A sample of the glass encasing was shown during the inauguration of the work. “These bullet marks remind us of the inhuman act of the then Congress government at the Centre. This is why we are encasing these marks to preserve them and shield them against rain etc,” said Longowal. He added that a display board will be mounted on the structure to familiarize the sangat and next generation about the history of the attack.
Sources from SGPC reveal that the building is around 60-70 years old and is one of the six entrances to the shrine complex. The red building is not plastered, giving it a unique look in the white marble complex. Devotees are not allowed to go upstairs to see the damaged Palki Sahib, and most devotees are not even aware of this. “Once the work is complete, it would be open for sangat,” said Roop Singh.
Notably, SGPC headquarters has also remained untouched over 32 years, as it is a key evidence in the ₹1000-crore suit filed by SGPC in court. The decision of renovating the building was taken during an executive meet of the apex gurdwara body on March 22, 2016, but Sikh bodies opposed the move citing it as destruction of evidence.