OPERATION BLUESTAR 1984

In June 1984, the PM of India, Indira Gandhi ordered an attack on the Darbar Sahib (the Golden Temple), the Sikhs holiest and most sacred Gurdwara, which was backed and planned by Margaret Thatcher, PM of United Kingdom. Sikhs from across India came to Darbar Sahib to commemorate the martyrdom of the 5^th Guru of Sikhs, Guru Arjan Dev Ji. Knowing this, thousands of Indian army troops were deployed to kill innocent Sikhs resulting in the biggest massacre of Sikh Pilgrims. Hundreds of Sikh women were raped and killed whilst Sikh men were tortured, shot, and even burnt alive with diesel. The Indian Army gained control of the Sikhs holiest shrine and killed Innocent children in front of their mothers. 18 days old baby, Manpreet Singh is known to be the youngest shot by the Indian Army.

This week marks 36 years since the attack on Darbar Sahib. Sikhs worldwide remember the 1984 Sikh Genocide as they demand justice to this day. Earlier this week, the hashtag #NeverForget1984 appeared in the top trends on Twitter. However, Sikhs worldwide are shocked at the banning of the hashtag #Sikh on social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram. The Instagram notice stated that “Posts for this hashtag are temporarily hidden because of unusual activity that may not meet Instagram’s community guidelines.” Indian state-backed online censorship has again targeted Sikh activists with account suspensions on Twitter. The twitter account of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, legal advisor to SFJ has also been suspended multiple times within this week, in an attempt to suppress those who expose the truth of the genocide of Sikhs orchestrated in 1984.

The oppression of Sikhs continues to be violated throughout India, as recently Punjab Police have violated the right to freedom of expression, by banning the entry of Sikhs with a Kirpan (sacred sword) to Darbar Sahib. A kirpan is an integral part of the identity of a Sikh; an article of faith that is worn by initiated (Amritdhari) Sikhs. The religious persecution of Sikhs, ahead of the anniversary of the invasion of Darbar Sahib, once again is an attempt by the Indian government to silence the Sikh community. In addition, in a statement during a press conference, the Jathedar (leader) of Akaal Takhat declared Khalistan. The Akaal Takhat is the ‘Immortal Throne’ which represents the highest seat of Sikh spiritual and political sovereignty.

The struggle for a separate homeland continues even today as Sikhs globally seek independence from India through Punjab Referendum 2020, a campaign launched by Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), an international advocacy group, to liberate Punjab currently occupied by India. Earlier today, the formation of the commission for the procedures of the Punjab Referendum 2020 was announced. The Commission is to propose the procedures for the non-binding Punjab Referendum 2020. During the global conference, SFJ’s legal adviser of SFJ, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun also announced that the voter registrations in Punjab are to be launched on July 4^th, 2020. The registering of votes has been conducted in the USA, Canada, UK, New Zealand, Australia, and other countries in Europe and Asia since the launch in California November last year, giving the people of Punjab a chance to vote on their future political status, in November 2020.

On June 6^th, 2020, ‘Sarkar-E-Khalistan’, a series of weekly discussions hosted by SFJ, took place on Zoom. This week’s discussion focused on Operation Blue Star: the attack on Darbar Sahib which occurred on June 1^st-10^th 1984. University Sikh societies within the UK such as Cambridge, Sussex, Warwick, Roehampton, Aston, Brunel, Leeds, Birmingham City University supported the zoom conference and many also attended the discussion. Attendees across the UK joined and asked various in-depth questions on the Khalistan movement and the current situation in Punjab leading to questions particularly on the agriculture and water issues in Punjab.