Revisiting Punjab’s turmoil before & after Op Bluestar
CHANDIGARH: It was June 4, 1984, when Ramesh Inder Singh took charge as the deputy commissioner of Amritsar from Gurdev Singh Brar, who had earlier applied for leave to be with his son in the US. That was the time when an intelligence input had stated that militants planned to declare Khalistan and set up an interim regime that would be recognised by Pakistan.
A day earlier, two unidentified young Sikhs, probably Pakistani agent provocateurs, approached Harchand Singh Longowal, the then Akali Dal president, and Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, the Damdami Taksal jathedar-turned-Sikh militant leader, with an appeal to declare Khalistan. “Although no declaration of the state of Khalistan came, they had been approached,” writes Ramesh Inder Singh, giving an insider’s view through his book on the events that unfolded in the run-up to and after the Indian Army’s Operation Bluestar to flush out militants from the Golden Temple, the holiest shrine of the Sikhs, 38 years ago.
Recounting the sequence of events in his book, “Turmoil in Punjab, Before and After Bluestar: An Insider’s Story”, Ramesh Inder, who went on to become the state’s chief secretary, has shared how Longowal, subsequent to his release from National Security Agency (NSA) detention on March 11, 1985, in an interview to journalist Kuldeep Nayar, admitted, “The truth is that two persons I did not know came to me and said they had gone to Bhindranwale as well and asked him to announce the birth of Khalistan over the loudspeaker. Bhindranwale directed them to approach me, saying if Longowal were to announce the birth of Khalistan, he would support it. However, neither Bhindranwale nor Longowal, both staying in the Golden Temple, gave this call.”
“Longowal and Bhindranwale, did not fall into the trap. The beguiling allure failed and with that any possible justification for army action on that account. However, the decision to storm the temple had been taken much before June 3, or even before the Akalis gave the non-cooperation call,” says the author.
“Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) had not forgotten that on March 26, 1971, India had announced its support to the Bangladeshi freedom movement. The Indian Army had already moved into Amritsar and curfew along with press censorship had been imposed from June 3 to 5 for inexplicable reasons,” he recalls.
A gripping story of missed opportunities
Asked why a book 38 years later, the author replied, “Till date, we hear different versions of what happened and how. As an eyewitness to the entire period, I present a 360-degree account of the times. From 1978 to 1996, Punjab faced tragic times resulting in the death of about 21,660 people.” His experience ranges from the grassroots level as district magistrate, Amritsar, during the operation and later on at the policy-making level as chief secretary of the state.
Author and journalist Mark Tully, a witness to the era, praises the book saying: “We had to wait for 38 years for an independent eyewitness account of Operation Bluestar. It’s a gripping story of missed opportunities, misplaced courage, military arrogance and criminality.” The end to Operation Bluestar came on June 6 when Bhindranwale was found dead in the Golden Temple but its after-effects continue as it wounded the Sikh psyche for times to come.
Lessons to learn
The book is an exhaustive account indeed, running into some 572 pages covering the genesis and a historical perspective of the great divide. The author says: “I have written it in a narrative style with stories and anecdotes to make it readable”. He adds that what is important are the lessons to learn from the unfortunate happenings of those times.”
“The administration was caught napping when the Hindu exodus started from the border areas of Punjab. Fiftyfive families migrated from Tarn Taran to Karnal without the district administration reporting it. The numbers kept swelling and by 1986, 1,253 families had moved out of Punjab and the next year. In 1987, 2,149 families with 9,720 members had moved to Delhi alone. However, the Hindu migration was temporary and ended with militancy.
The book is published by Harper Collins and the publishers have put it up for pre-orders online. The formal launch will be in mid-June.