1984 When Darbar Sahib Was Treated as Enemy Territory
Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple complex) was effectively treated as enemy territory during Operation Blue Star in 1984. (Google source)
Key events in the history of nations do not happen in isolation. Traumatic episodes like Ghalughara III, 1984, were the result of earlier history and history is decided by such episodes. The future direction of a theo-political entity like the Khalsa Panth is decided and guided by such events.
However, the tendency is to look at such episodes in isolation. Much time and print space is given to personal eye-witness accounts, analysis and views about what happened during and immediately before or after an episode like the invasion of Darbar Sahib by the Indian Army. The blame-game is played according to personal experience and motivations. Lead players are seen as heroes or villains. The real root causes going back in history are missed out.
That difference in approach divides Sikh journalists, historians, scholars, politicians and ordinary people. For similar reasons, different interests and approaches divide the affluent business community Sikhs who differ from the average grassroots Sikh activists about the reasons for Ghalughara 1984. The business Sikhs prefers to be much more pragmatic and conciliatory regarding future direction of the Panth than the latter who point to the historical trend since 1947. Sikh Indians and many diaspora Sikhs differ regarding the Sikh right to self-determination as a distinct people.
For the Sikhs, an essential part of the broad historical trend in their post 1947 struggle is their pre-condition to be treated as a distinct political entity as evidenced by their ideology, culture and history. Following the partition of the Indian subcontinent they chose, or were forced to choose by Sikh demographics, to remain with the Republic of India in 1947.
Certain promises were made by the leaders of Brahmanic Hinduism which dominated the Indian National Congress Party. Akali Party leaders accepted the assurances in good faith. However, the UK Parliamentary debates of the time show that British politicians knew what lay ahead for the Sikhs. They foresaw that the Sikh future was insecure and expressed much regret in the Parliament.
Ghalughara III was waiting to happen when we follow the treatment of the Sikhs by those in power in Delhi from 1947. Brahmanic Hinduism gained political power and resumed the ideological war with the egalitarian Khalsa Panth. Within an year, Panjab was betrayed and discriminated against on the Panjabi language issue. Simple and just Sikh demands from the start of the Panjabi Suba agitation, were continually rejected and the Sikh case became a running sore. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had her own grudge against the Sikhs who opposed her bid to become an authoritarian ruler of India. Regardless of who the lead personalities were, Ghalughara III was the outcome of differential treatment of Panjab and the Sikhs since 1947.
It started with the invasion of Darbar Sahib and the siege of Panjab by the Indian Army from June 1984. It continued with the massacre of Sikhs in Delhi and nationwide in November 1984 and the extra-judicial killings of young Sikhs in Panjab for the next 10 years. It was not just Darbar Sahib but the whole of Panjab State which was treated as enemy territory by the Indian Army, as directed by Delhi administration.
Forty-one years after Ghalughara III, the global existential objective for the Sikhs is Sikhi activism which promotes Sikh image and egalitarian values at all levels.
Gurmukh Singh OBE
Principal Civil Servant retd (UK)
E-mail: sewauk2005@yahoo.co.uk
Sikh ideology articles: https://www.sikhmissionarysociety.org/