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Papers About The Role Of Akali Dal In Op. Blue-Star


Singh, Mahan
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In this thread, please, post papers about the role played and the secret meetings held with the Central Government of India by the leadership of Akali Dal before the Operation Blue Star with the intent to ‘neutralise’ Sant Bhinderanwale .

Please add to this thread whatever information you can come across so that historians can look at and get some clues to research further and write the correct history. There are many bits coming up in the newspapers these days. Some sense out of all that needs to be made.

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http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140214/main6.htm

Eight secret Akali-Centre meetings before Bluestar
Chandigarh hosted three parleys, Delhi five, claims former Deputy Commissioner Raghbir Singh

Naveen S Garewal
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 13
“I received a call from Chief Commissioner Krishna Banerji asking me to see him immediately. As soon as I entered his room, he signalled all those already present there to leave immediately. He told me to make preparations for a top-secret meeting between some top politicians from the Centre and Akali leaders lodged in the Burail jail. I was asked not to involve anyone in the mission, and keep the police out of the loop.”

“I discussed various possibilities with Sub-Divisional Magistrate TC Gupta. He managed to procure keys of a private house in Sector 2, Chandigarh, for use as the venue of the talks on March 27, 1984.” Three rounds of talks had already taken place between the Akalis and the Union Government in Delhi and the fourth one was to be held in Chandigarh, recalls the then city Deputy Commissioner Raghbir Singh.

Since it was a top-secret mission, it was decided to use a car without a flag and replace the original number plates with fake ones. “I myself drove the car to the Burail jail. As I was also the IG (Prisons) for Chandigarh, being the District Magistrate, I knew the Jail

Superintendent RD Sharma was a smart cookie. I sent him to Ludhiana on a purchase assignment. I opened the gate and huddled the Akalis into the car and ferried them to the venue of the meeting,” he recalls. The meeting was held between senior Akali leaders and the Home Minister PV Narasimha Rao-led Central team. Most Akali leaders were mortally scared of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who had become very powerful, thus depriving Akalis of their political clout.

The Akalis wanted Bhindranwale neutralised, but till then they had no inclination about the plans of the Centre (about Operation Bluestar). After holding talks at a private residence in Sector 2, Chandigarh, on March 27 and 29, 1984, another meeting took place at the Chandigarh Airport on April 21, 1984. However, no solution could be worked out.

Subsequently, the venue of the meetings shifted to Delhi and the eighth and the final meeting took place in a guest house in Delhi on May 26, 1984, just days before Operation Bluestar.

For the talks that took place months before the Army action on the Golden Temple, Parkash Singh Badal, who was detained in Delhi at that time, accompanied PV Narasimha Rao, Parnab Mukherjee, CR Krishnaswamy, MMK Wali, PC Alexander (Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi), Union Home Secretary Prem Kumar and Union Minister Shiv Shankar in a special plane to Chandigarh.

At Chandigarh, Akali leaders, Surjit Singh Barnala, Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, Gurcharan Singh Tohra and Ravinder Singh Cheema, then lodged in the Burail Jail, were clandestinely brought out and taken to Sector 2.

Raghbir Singh said he received all orders from then Chandigarh’s Chief Commissioner Krishna Banerji. He believes the meetings were aimed at finding a solution to the Punjab tangle. “The homework done during those meetings later took the shape of the Rajiv-Longowal Accord,” he says.

Giving specifics to suggest that the Army action was not discussed with Akalis, he says during an overnight stay in Sector 5 here, Indira Gandhi told senior leaders, “You all want a solution, but none of you tells me what can be done to neutralise Bhindranwale.”

According to Raghbir Singh, Abinash Singh, the then secretary of Harchand Singh Longowal (who was later gunned down, as was Longowal) was the emissary between the Akalis and the Centre.

The talks that were

* The then Chandigarh Deputy Commissioner, Raghbir Singh, claimed three rounds of talks had already taken place between the Akalis and the Centre in Delhi before the venue was shifted to Chandigarh

* Two meetings were held at a private residence in Sector 2, Chandigarh, on March 27 and 29, 1984, while the third took place at the airport on April 21, 1984

* The Akalis wanted Bhindranwale neutralised, but till then they had no inclination about the plans of the Centre about Operation Bluestar

* Subsequently, the venue of the meetings shifted to Delhi

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Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Many-supporters-of-Operation-Bluestar-enjoyed-SAD-patronage-post-1997/articleshow/30645308.cms

Operation Bluestar enjoyed SAD patronage post-1997

I P Singh, TNN | Feb 19, 2014, 04.35 AM IST

JALANDHAR: Those who strongly supported and worked for the Union government during Operation Bluestar in 1984 were later rewarded or "honourably adjusted" when SAD patriarch Parkash Singh Badal became the chief minister of Punjab post-terrorism days in late 1990s. This despite the fact that SAD has strongly denied allegations by former CM Captain Amarinder Singh that Akali leaders were in cahoots with the Indira Gandhi-led regime during the military action on the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar.

The policy of giving prime postings to officers and rewarding political leaders who were accused by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), SAD and Sikh groups for helping the Centre in Operation Bluestar, continued during the tenures of Badal as CM since 1997 while Akalis continued to claim to champion the cause of Sikh community.

History books and even SGPC's own whitepaper recorded that Ramesh Inder Singh, an IAS officer of 1974 batch of West Bengal cadre on deputation to Punjab in 1984, was brought in as Amritsar deputy commissioner (DC) just before the launch of the Army action on the Golden Temple complex after his predecessor Gurdev Singh Brar was made to proceed on leave when he reportedly refused to sign on the dotted line for the military action. Ramesh Inder emerged as one of the trusted bureaucrats during Badal's three tenures as CM after 1984. Following Operation Bluestar, the Union government confirmed his absorption in Punjab cadre. Ramesh Inder was appointed Badal's principal secretary when he came into power in 1997 and then became the chief secretary when the SAD patriarch returned to power in 2007. After retirement, he was appointed the chief information commissioner (CIC) of Punjab.

Amarjeet Kaur, a Congress Rajya Sabha member during Operation Bluestar, who also happens to be Captain Amarinder's relative, was one of the most vocal leaders from Punjab to support the military action. She not only spoke in the Parliament to support it but also wrote a detailed article "Akali Dal the Enemy Within" in 1984. She had termed former SGPC chief Gurcharan Singh Tohra a Communist, apart from objecting to Akal Takht edict on Nirankaris. However, in 1990s she was "rewarded" with a ticket by Badal-led SAD, which had to be taken back after fierce opposition from Sikh groups and she appeared before Akal Takht for atonement.

Family of Badal's son-in-law Adesh Partap Singh Kairon remained loyal to the Congress during and after the Operation Bluestar. Adesh Partap's father Surinder Singh Kairon, son of former Punjab CM Partap Singh Kairon, became an MP in 1991 on Congress ticket. However, Adesh Partap was elected an MLA in 1997 representing SAD and was even made cabinet minister.

Several other Congress leaders like former Ludhiana MP Gurcharan Singh Ghalib, former Rajasthan governor and Jalandhar MP Darbara Singh, former Hoshiarpur MP Kamal Chaudhary and former Jalandhar MP Balbir Singh, who remained with the party and never opposed the Army action during Operation Bluestar or raised their voice against 1984 anti-Sikh riots, were welcomed into SAD with open arms and made party candidates or adjusted at other positions.

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Crusaders for justice to '84 victims prefer AAP over SAD

I P Singh,TNN | Feb 21, 2014, 05.16 AM IST

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Crusaders-for-justice-to-84-victims-prefer-AAP-over-SAD/articleshow/30759787.cms

JALANDHAR: The Sikh riots in 1984 in the wake of the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi has always been used as a rallying cry by Akalis for decades, with the issue of denial of justice being highlighted every election or to target the Congress, but some of those spearheading the fight for ensuring justice to the riot victims have chosen not be part of SAD (Badal), which claims to be sole custodian of interests of the Sikhs, but have opted for a new outfit like Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Supreme Court senior advocate H S Phoolka, who has been waging a legal battle for the 1984 riot victims, and former journalist Jarnail Singh, who threw a shoe at Union minister P Chidambaram in 2009 prior to the Lok Sabha polls after Congress decided to field Jagdish Tytler from one of the seats in Delhi, have joined AAP. While Phoolka has been made the AAP candidate for the Ludhiana Lok Sabha constituency, Jarnail has been fielded by the party from Delhi (West) seat in the coming general elections.

Another key face of the fight for justice Nirpreet Kaur, who lost her father in the massacre and sat on a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in May last year demanding justice for the victims, is all for AAP. "Congress killed us, SAD-BJP did little to ensure justice, but Kejriwal formed a SIT within a month of his government coming to power and even supported commutation of death sentence to Devinderpal Bhullar. It gives me all reasons to go with AAP," she said.

Even several Punjab-based Sikh activists have been extending support to AAP. A party leader from Delhi said, "Earlier, all of them had affiliation with SAD, now they are joining us. During the Delhi assembly elections they looked at AAP as a third alternative after both Congress and BJP failed to deliver results."

"After Arvind Kejriwal's government decided to form a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the closed cases of the 1984 massacre as promised in its manifesto, the victims and Sikhs realized that AAP was honest in its approach. Though SAD championed the cause in Delhi and Punjab, it did not go much beyond lip service. SAD promoted nepotism and even rewarded several people who worked against Sikhs openly, but it never took any activist on board either in Punjab or in Delhi," said Punjab Human Rights Organization (PHRO) general secretary Gurbachan Singh, explaining why activists chose AAP. "Even in the Devenderpal Singh Bhullar case, it was Kejriwal who wrote to the President for commuting his death sentence. The SAD government had maintained an ambiguous stand on him, and had opposed him in the Supreme Court," he pointed out.

SAD (Delhi) president Paramjit Singh Sarna, a rival of Badals, said the Akali leadership was worried about AAP. "It was clear from SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal's attack on Phoolka. SAD is of the view that if justice is delivered, Badals would lose an issue they had been using in successive elections. Moreover, the credit would also go to AAP, which apart from forming the SIT, also has on board some known faces of the 1984 riot victims' battle for justice."

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This is in today's tribune

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140221/punjab.htm#3

Cong leaders spar over letter on Op Bluestar
Sanjeev Singh Bariana
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 20
Fissures in the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) grew deeper today with general secretary Rajanbir Singh sparring with party spokesperson Sukhpal Singh Khaira over a letter allegedly written by his father Balwant Singh to Indira Gandhi in support of Operation Bluestar.

While Rajanbir claimed the letter was fake, Khaira dared Rajanbir to file a defamation suit against the author of “Chakarvyu”, former IAS officer Gurtej Singh, saying the letter was a part of the book. Rajanbir said the letter was “utter falsehood and a cock and bull story”. To prove his point, he showed copies of his father’s passport. He said the letter was dated June 9, 1984, when his father was not even in India. He demanded an unconditional apology from Khaira for trying to tarnish the reputation of his late father. Khaira argued that Rajanbir should first sue the author of the book. “Is he playing into the Akali hands to debunk the involvement of Akali leaders in Operation Bluestar, including that of his father,” Khaira asked.

Balwant Singh was Finance Minister in the Akali Government led by Surjit SinghBarnala. Insinuating that Rajanbir was an opportunist, he said he quit the SAD to join the Congress in 1997, fought two elections on the Congress ticket, ditched the party in 2008 to join the SAD and rejoined the Congress in 2012.

In a nutshell
browdot.gifPPCC general secy Rajanbir claims a letter supposedly written by his late father Balwant Singh is fake
browdot.gifThe letter is part of a book written by former IAS officer Gurtej Singh
browdot.gifSukhpal Khaira, PPCC spokesman, had quoted from the letter
browdot.gifRajanbir wants Khaira to apologise for trying to harm his father’s image

Author’s stand

The book was published 15 years ago in 1999. Not even Balwant Singh challenged the contents when he was alive. I can understand his son's anguish, but there is no likelihood of the letters released after Operation Bluestar not being genuine.
Gurtej Singh, ex-IAS officer

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Another traitor is Surjit Barnala who sold the Sikh Kaum to Rajiv for nothing with the Punjab Accord. He was also behind Blackthunder. His son is no better being charged with rape and boasting he led a force that killed Sikh militants. Barnala was rewarded with Governor's position whilst Badal was allowed the CM role by India.

Gaganjit is married and has a son and a daughter. He had once led an armed brigade to take on militants who had entered the Golden Temple complex when his father was the Chief Minister of Punjab. Following the incident, he met with a serious accident. He then immigrated to Australia before returning to Punjab to join active politics.

Barnala’s son held on rape charge

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 12

Gaganjit Singh Barnala, the sitting Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) MLA from Dhuri and son of Tamil Nadu Governor Surjit Singh Barnala, was arrested tonight by the Chandigarh Police on a charge of rape.

Confirming his arrest to The Tribune, Chandigarh SSP Gaurav Yadav said Gaganjit Singh had been arrested under Section 376 of the IPC on the statement of the victim, who had been working in his house as a masseur for the past six to seven months. Gaganjit was arrested from his official residence — Number 57, MLA Flats, Sector 3 — after the case was registered against him in the Sector 3 police station.

The fortyfive-year-old victim belongs to West Bengal and is a divorcee. She was rushed to Government Hospital in Sector 16 in a critical state and had lost excessive blood. After being declared fit to give a statement by doctors, she told women constables that she had gone to the MLA hostel residence of Gaganjit in routine this morning, when he allegedly raped her. The victims is a resident of Naya Gaon on the outskirts of Chandigarh.

The SSP told The Tribune that the incident happened this afternoon. He said, “The wife of Gaganjit — Harpreet Kaur — has signed the consent form which was needed before operating the victim. She was brought to the hospital by the personal security officer of Gaganjit and was admitted to the hospital at 2.30 pm. Her medical examination has established a vaginal tear of 2.5 cm. We have also videographed the victim and recorded her statement. She has said that she was raped and also that she used the vest of Gaganjit to clean her blood after the incident took place. We have recovered the vest and sealed it, besides collecting the vaginal swabs for DNA analysis. We are also collecting other evidence and will produce Gaganjit in court tomorrow.”

Chandigarh DSP S.S. Randhawa, who was present at the General Hospital, Sector 16, when the victim was being videographed, said Gaganjit’s wife was in the other room when the alleged rape took place.

Gaganjit is married and has a son and a daughter. He had once led an armed brigade to take on militants who had entered the Golden Temple complex when his father was the Chief Minister of Punjab. Following the incident, he met with a serious accident. He then immigrated to Australia before returning to Punjab to join active politics.

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