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Found 11 results

  1. Guest

    List of 1984 Shaheeds needed

    Does any person have a PDF copy of the book released by Baba Harnam Singh Jee Dhumma which lists all of the shaheed Singhs and Singhnia of 84?
  2. PLEASE POST ALL 1984 OPERATION BLUESTAR VIDEOS PICTURES ETC. HERE http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VgebozKUsPQ http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_Bl4ED9BnhE http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iiLbqEA2yKQ http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HdC5O8fvkwY http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2FVrHFjY8ig http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3PYfD0uRqfo
  3. As reports emerge that the UK may have colluded in a merciless 1984 raid on the Golden Temple in Amritsar, we look back at one of the most painful and important moments in Sikh history. By Dabinderjit Singh Code-named Operation Bluestar began on June 1st 1984. Up to 150,000 Indian army troops were sent to the northern Indian state of Punjab, the Sikh homeland, equipped with helicopter gunships and tanks. Over 125 other Sikh shrines were simultaneously attacked. On the false pretext of apprehending 'a handful of militants' lodged inside the Golden Temple, the Indian army unleashed a terror unprecedented in post-independence India. It took the use of Vijayanta tanks to win the fight for the army. These let loose a barrage of highly explosive shells, which destroyed the Akal Takht, the temporal seat of the Sikhs. The Shiromani (Temple) Committee secretary Bhan Singh was in the temple complex at the time of Operation Bluestar. He witnessed soldiers, commanded by a major, lining up young Sikhs along the hostel's corridor to be shot. When Bhan Singh protested, the major flew into a rage, tore away his turban and ordered him to either flee the scene or join the 'array of martyrs'. Bhan Singh turned back and fled, jumping over the bodies of the dead and injured. Hundreds of young Sikhs, innocent pilgrims from the villages, were killed in this manner. Ranbir Kaur, a female school teacher, witnessed the shooting of another group of 150 people whose hands had been tied behind their backs with their own turbans. A singer at the Golden Temple, Harcharan Singh Ragi, his wife and their young daughter came out of their quarters near the information office on the afternoon of June 6th. They witnessed the killings of hundreds of people, including women, and would themselves have been shot if a commander had not taken pity on their young daughter who fell at his feet begging him to spare her parents' lives. Associated Press correspondent Brahma Chellaney had managed to dodge the authorities to remain in Amritsar during the Operation Bluestar. One attendant at the city's crematorium told him that there was not 'enough wood to burn the dead individually'. News of the attack on the Golden Temple quickly spread despite the curfew. Thousands of people in the surrounding villages gathered to march to Amritsar to defend the Golden Temple. At Golwand village in Jhubal, a crowd of several thousands gathered, under the leadership of Baba Bidhi Chand, and began to march the 25 kilometres to Amritsar. Helicopter patrols spotted them and sprayed them with bullets without warning. Within minutes hundreds were dead or wounded. "It was a virtual massacre. A large number of women, children and pilgrims were gunned down." The Guardian, June 13th 1984 "For five days the Punjab has been cut off from the rest of the world. There is a 24-hour curfew. All telephone and telex lines are cut. No foreigners are permitted entry and on Tuesday, all Indian journalists were expelled. There are no newspapers, no trains, no buses - not even a bullock cart can move. Orders to shoot on site were widely carried out. The whole of Punjab, with its 5,000 villages and 50 major cities, was turned into a concentration camp. The rules were what the Indian army and its political decision makers decided." Christian Science Monitor, June 8th 1984 "The army went into Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) not to eliminate a political figure or a political movement but to suppress the culture of a people, to attack their heart, to strike a blow at their spirit and self-confidence." Joyce J.M. Pettigrew "Thousands of people have disappeared from the Punjab since the siege of the Sikh's Golden Temple here seven weeks ago. In some villages men between 15-35 have been bound, blindfolded and taken away. Their fate is unknown" Mary Anne Weaver's report in the Sunday Times "A Sikh doctor drafted from the Government hospital to Jullunder to conduct post mortem examinations said that he had seen the bodies of two Sikhs who had been shot at point blank range, their hands tied behind their backs with their turbans. His colleagues had reported others, some of whom had been machine -gunned. This doctor headed a team that conducted 400 examinations. He said that most bodies were riddled with bullets and bore bomb wounds." The Guardian "The same doctor told journalists that bodies of victims were brought to the mortuary by police in municipal refuse lorries and reported that of the 400 bodies, 100 were women and between 15-20 were children under five. One was a two month old baby. The doctor said that one 'extremist' in the pile of bodies was found to be alive; a soldier shot and killed him." The Times "Another police official told reporters that a lorry load of elderly Sikhs who surrendered on the first day of the military operation, were brought to the main city police station and tortured there by the army. The old men shrieked, but I helplessly watched all this from my office window." The Guardian "On the night of the 5th, the aged and chronically ill father of the couple next door finally expired and on the morning of the 6th the army gave our neighbours special permission to take him to the crematorium. Even before reaching this site, they could smell the stench of putrid and burning flesh. On entering the crematorium grounds they saw a sight that literally made them sick with horror. Grotesque piles of dozens of bodies were being burnt in the open without dignity or religious rites like so many carcasses. The bodies had all been brought there by dust carts and from the number of carts; the attendant estimated some 3,300 had so far been cremated." A resident of Amritsar's eyewitness account to the editor of a British Sikh publication With dead bodies lying all around, the vast lake of the Golden Temple Complex was transformed into a thick red of profuse blood. No attempts were made to provide assistance to the injured or dying. According to the Christian Science Monitor: "On Saturday, medical workers in Amritsar said soldiers had threatened to shoot them if they gave food or water to Sikh pilgrims wounded in the attack and lying in the hospital." People were killed like that. No medicine was provided, in fact no medical aid was administered at all. Many people died in the camps. Neither water nor medicine aid was provided and you could not even donate blood for the injured in hospitals as it was stated that they were prisoners of war and hence no blood transfusions were permitted. The army detained volunteers of the Red Cross who wanted to help the injured at the nearby Jallianwala Baqh. G.K.C Reddy commented that "Operation Blue Star will go down in history as one of the biggest massacres of unarmed civilians by the organised military force of a nation." Further, he added that "the word unarmed is used deliberately as the disparity in arms on the two sides was so great that those resisting army invasion of the temple could hardly be termed armed". Indian MP and president of the Janata party Subramaniam Swami published an article soon after the massacre inside the Golden Temple to say that the government had been master-minding a disinformation campaign to create legitimacy for the action. This did not go unnoticed by informed foreign correspondents. "The government is now energetically insisting that the Sikh insurrection in the Panjab was a deep-seated conspiracy of a certain foreign power or when pressed, claims that some of the terrorists were trained in Pakistan," he wrote. "This is the first time that such a claim has been made, and it smacks of Mrs Gandhi's playing the familiar old Pakistan card for all it is worth." Citizens for Democracy, a respected Indian civil liberties group headed by the distinguished former supreme court judge V.M.Tarkunde, published a report called Oppression in Punjab (1985). According to its findings on the police and army atrocities, "it was a terrible tale of sadistic torture, ruthless killings, fake encounters, calculated ill-treatment of women and children, and corruption and graft on a large scale." It also noted that "despite all the oppression of the Sikh community there was no incident of a communal riot even in villages where the Hindus were in a hopeless minority". In the November 16th edition of the New Statesman, Amrit Wilson described the scene: "On June 4th, a day of pilgrimage for Sikhs when thousands had gathered at the Golden Temple, army tanks moved into the Temple Complex, smashing into the sanctum and shooting everyone in sight. Those left alive were then prevented from leaving the building, many wounded were left to bleed to death and when they begged for water, army Jawans told them to drink the mixture of blood and urine on the floor. Four months later no list of casualties or missing persons had yet been issued. Then came the army occupation of Punjab with frequent humiliations, arrests and killings of Sikhs by soldiers." In an effort to destroy a crucial part of Sikh heritage, the army, set fire to the Sikh Reference Library after it had been secured. Irreplaceable copies of the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikhs' holy scriptures; archives of documents from periods of Sikh history and even artefacts from the lives of the Gurus were reduced to ash. The Toshakhana, treasure house of the Golden Temple was systematically looted. The government of India has always maintained that the army action was a 'last resort' necessary to flush out terrorists. But according to Retired Lt-General S.K. Sinha of the Indian army the army action was not the 'last resort' prime minister Indira Gandhi would have us believe. It had been in her mind for more than 18 months. Shortly after the Akali agitation of 1982, the army began rehearsals of a commando raid near Chakrata Cantonment in the Doon Valley, where a complete replica of the Golden Temple complex had been built. Another training involving Aviation Research Centre Commandos, was given in the Sarsawa area and Yamuna bed in helicopters converted into qunships." This was long before any "militants" were inside the complex. A soldier serving in Arnitsar wrote: "On the morning of June 6th, the Golden Temple complex was like a graveyard. Bodies lay all around in buildings, on the Parikarma and in the Sarovar. The sun was shining and the stench from the bodies was becoming unbearable. The civilians who died, about 1,500 of them, were piled in trollies and carried away. A lot of them were thrown into the rivers. The battle was a tragic one. I couldn't eat anything. Food made me sick. I used to just drink lots of rum and go to sleep. I am glad now to be relieved of my duty in Arnritsar." R.H. Greenfield of the Sunday Telegraph, (June 10th, 1984) wrote: "Mughal emperors and British governors alike tried military solutions to the Sikh problems and succeeded only in adding to the roll of martyrs cherished by the proud and prickly people. Sikhs also have long memories. They have never forgotten or forgiven the day in 1919 when General Dyer ordered his troops to open fire in the sacred city of Amritsar and Mrs. Gandhi may well have cause to rue the day she did the same." Less than 5 months later, his words became reality. Dabinderjit Singh is a leading figure in the British Sikh community. He became one of the youngest civilians to recive an OBE in 2000 for his work on equal opportunities and representing the Sikh community. He is an adviser to the Sikh Federation (UK) and a regular spokesman on mainstream media on Sikh issues. http://uk.news.yahoo.com/comment/talking-politics/truth-behind-golden-temple-massacre-112046608.html#c1U1q30
  4. A study centre is being planned at Oxford University UK named after Indira Gandhi. This is a deplorable act to use the name of mass killer at a reputable British University that gets Government funding. As the university is paid for by British tax payers it is something we all have a right to object to . Can the various Sikh organisations and Sikh Council take this up. It will also bring the Sikh Genocide out in the UK if Sikh objections hit the media. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130530/main6.htm Special to the tribune Study centre named after Indira to come up at Oxford Shyam Bhatia in London An Oxford University project to create a new graduate studies centre named in honour of Indira Gandhi has attracted a contribution of Rs 25 crore (approximately £3 million) from the Government of India. India’s contribution, which has been matched by a similar sum from Oxford, will help fund scholarships for postgraduate students from India to study at the centre - the Indira Gandhi Centre for Sustainable Development. Details of the unique project have been revealed by the head of the college where Indira Gandhi herself was briefly enrolled as an undergraduate student studying history back in 1937. Dr Alice Prochaska, Principal of Somerville College, explained: “The idea is we are offering these scholarships to students from India who have been offered places on master’s courses at Oxford.” She added: There are several master’s courses that we’ve identified as relating to the first of the themes we wish to develop through the Indira Gandhi Centre. That theme is food security. There are several courses that students have applied for, which relate in one way or another to food security and policies surrounding food security. Each one of the courses has a slightly different design, but essentially they are a mixture of teaching and research.” Since Oxford wants to attract the brightest and the best from India, including those who could emerge as future leaders, all applicants have been subjected to a rigorous screening process. “What we did was to identify the eligible pool of candidates who are all from Indian universities, they are all of Indian nationality ordinarily resident in India and these candidates have been through the very rigorous Oxford University applications process and have been offered places on courses that they chose”, Dr Prochaska explained. “Academically, we already know that they are very highly qualified. We wrote to all of them, to those who indicated they do not yet have funding and invited them to apply and asked them to write a letter explaining what they would like to do in the future when they have got their degree. How they see themselves bringing benefit to India in the future.” Asked how the project will have a “transformational impact “on the lives of future leaders, Dr Prochaska said: “First of all we will identify those we think are future leaders through their applications. That is we’ve asked them to submit a personal statement which not only sets out their chosen course of study , but to say how they think it will equip them to respond to the challenges of sustainable development faced by India. And then to give an example that demonstrates their leadership and entrepreneurship potential. So we hope we are identifying people who see themselves as future leaders in whatever their chosen field of activity. And then we will give them a mix of mentoring and special seminars and, since it’s a small number of students in the first instance, we will be able to respond personally to their interests in developing their own leadership qualities. “We want to select the finest students from India who want to come to Oxford, regardless of their financial means. They will be supervised by some of the best scientists in their respective fields in the world and this will make a huge difference to their opportunities in the future.” Honouring an icon The Indian government has contributed Rs 25 crore for the Indira Gandhi Centre for Sustainable Development at Somerville College India’s contribution will be matched by a similar sum from Oxford and help fund scholarships for postgraduate students from India to study at the centre Indira Gandhi was an undergraduate student of history at Somerville College in 1937
  5. TNN | Jun 7, 2013, 02.40 AM IST AMRITSAR: ShiromaniGurdwaraParbandhakCommittee (SGPC) president Avtar SinghMakkar said on Thursday that seeking compensation of Rs 1,000 crore was not the motive behind depositing court fee of Rs 10 crorebut the committee wanted to make central government feel guilty for attack on the Golden Temple. Talking to mediapersons, Makkar said that the case was lodged in 1986 after the then president of SGPC Gurcharan Singh Tohra got evaluation of damage done to the Golden Temple duringOperation Bluestar and sought Rs 1,000 crore compensation. He said that in all these years, the case couldn't reach its logical end because it was not clear whether the court fee had to be deposited or not. He said that SGPC's stand was to first decide on maintainability but the court asked to first deposit the court fee which had been done. He said that the court has fixed the next hearing in October and has sent notices to the Centre and other concerned parties. Makkar said that the Centre was guilty of destroying Akal Takht. SGPC had reportedly deposited Rs 10 crore court fee to Delhi high court the previous Tuesday.
  6. http://www.hindustantimes.com/Punjab/Amritsar/Op-Bluestar-anniversary-passes-off-peacefully/SP-Article1-1071855.aspx The 29th anniversary of Operation Bluestar, observed every year as Ghallughara Diwas (genocide day), passed off peacefully amid tight security in the Harmandar Sahib complex here on Thursday. Speaking on the occasion, Akal Takht jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh reiterated his call to the Sikh Panth for unitedly undoing ‘injustices’ meted out to the community by the central government and the judicial system. “Far from giving justice, the administrative and judicial systems have alienated Sikhs in their own country. Sikhs have not got justice for the June 1984 army operation and the November 1984 riots,” said the jathedar, addressing a gathering from the Akal Takht at the conclusion of the ‘bhog’ ceremony in memory of Bluestar victims. The operation had been executed 29 years ago to flush out armed militants under then Damdami Taksal head Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale from the Golden Temple complex. Giani Gurbachan Singh said Sikhs could never forget Operation Bluestar as it had hurt the Sikh psyche. “It was an unfortunate event, leading to the destruction of the Akal Takht. It has become part of history,” he said, adding that it was carried out by a leader (referring to then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi) to satisfy her ‘political ego’ and suppress Sikhs. Referring to the acquittal of Congress leaders Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler in 1984 riots cases, the jathedar said the development was disturbing for the Sikhs. The community was dealt another blow with the Supreme Court refusing to stay the execution of death-row convict Devinderpal Singh Bhullar (a Khalistani militant), he added. “Only if we assembly on one platform and fight for our rights will we be able to put pressure on the union government,” he said. The jathedar also asked the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to publish booklets about Sikhs and Sikhism in every regional language of the country. “There is a need to make people across India aware of the sacrifices made by Sikhs during the freedom struggle and in defence of the nation,” the jathedar added. SAD leaders keep away Barring SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar, no senior leader of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) attended the ceremony. Even lower-rung leaders were not present. Chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, the SAD patron, used to attended Ghallughara Diwas in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but since then he has stayed away. He had not even attended the inaugural ceremony of the Operation Bluestar memorial on April 28 despite being present in the city that day. Mann’s pro-Khalistan slogans Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) president and former MP Simranjit Singh Mann Mann used a public address system to chant pro-Khalistan slogans after the ‘bhog’ ceremony. The response was poor, with even the Dal Khalsa, a radical group, choosing to remain silent. Earlier, on his arrival, Mann’s supporters tried to throng the Akal Takht building but were stopped by the SGPC task force members, who insisted that only Mann would be allowed inside. A scuffle ensued, in which turbans of a couple of SGPC employees were toppled. Mann and his supporters also paid obeisance at the Operation Bluestar memorial. Inside the memorial, Mann was heard saying, “We do not require anyone’s permission for dedicating our memorial to Bhindranwale. The BJP and others should keep away from our affairs.” For reasons best known to him, Mann chose the occasion to chant, “Sikh-Cheeni bhai bhai (Sikh, Chinese are brothers)."
  7. TNN | Jun 7, 2013, 02.41 AM IST AMRITSAR: The 29th anniversary of OperationBluestar was observed atGurdwaraGurdasrshanParkash, headquarters of Sikh seminary DamdamiTaksal at ChowkMehta , near Amritsar on Thursday. Jathedar ofAkalTakhtGianiGurbachan Singh and jathedar ofTakhtPatna Sahib, GianiIqbal Singh, were prominent among others who participated in the annual function. Representatives of various Sikh organizationsincluding Nihang organizations also participated in the function. On the occasion, Damdami Taksal chief Baba Harnam Singh Khalsa honoured Ishaar Singh, son of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. While eulogizing Bhindranwale, Jathedar of Akal Takht Giani Gurbachan Singh said that Bhindranwale had shown the right path to Sikh Panth and every Sikh should follow the same. About the controversial memorial to Operation Bluestar, he said that the memorial would remind the coming generations about sacrifices made by Sikhs for their religious places.
  8. PTI | Apr 27, 2013, 09.48 PM IST AMRITSAR: Facing opposition from political parties, the controversial memorial built for those killed in Operation Blue Star of 1984 was thrown open to public on Saturday after religious functions organized by the SGPC. Sikh seminary Damdami Taksal handed over keys of the memorial to SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar. Gyani Gurbachan Singh, Jathedar of highest Sikh temporal seat 'Akal Takht', was also present on the occasion. The memorial has been built near the marbled periphery of the Golden Temple complex. Operation Blue Star was launched in June 1984 to flush out hiding militants in the Golden Temple led by their leaderJarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who was also killed in military operation. Expressing satisfaction over the completion of "martyrs memorial" within 10 months, radical Sikh outfit Dal Khalsa thanked Damdami Taksal and SGPC for fulfilling the "long standing desire" of the Sikh Panth. Both opposition Congress and BJP, which is part of the coalition rulingin Punjab, had opposed construction of the memorial. While BJP had termed the move as "anti-national", Congress too had lodged its opposition, expressing apprehension that such a memorial inside the Golden Temple may again whip up passions and become cause of revival of terrorism in Punjab.
  9. March 22, 2013 by Abhinav Garg | TNN Source: epaper.timesofindia.com New Delhi: Putting an end to a nearly three-decade-old legal battle for Rs 1,000 crore compensation from the Union government for the 1984 Operation Bluestar, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Monday informed the Delhi high court it is withdrawing its suit. In a three-page affidavit filed before Justice M L Mehta, the SGPC informed that by a resolution passed on March 8, 2013, the SGPC executive committee decided to withdraw the suit that claimed compensation of Rs 1,000 crore for the damages caused to the Golden Temple in the operation carried out by the Army in 1984. The SGPC in its affidavit says it took stock of the case and of the objections raised by the Central government and observed that the maintainability of the suit is yet to be decided. The SGPC said if the court fee of about Rs 10 crore is paid on the amount claimed, it will be “sheer wastage of money spent on court fee, which is the hard-earned money donated by devotees” if the case is decided against it. The money will “go in vain” the SGPC argued in its affidavit seeking liberty to withdraw its suit. On Monday, Justice Mehta was informed by the counsel for SGPC that its office-holder Mangat Singh was unable to be present in court and if granted time he will appear to give an undertaking to withdraw the suit. Justice Mehta then adjourned the case and posted it for hearing for April 22. The affidavit marks an end to a suit that was instituted in an Amritsar court in 1985 and was later transferred to the Delhi HC. In January, 2013, the HC began hearing the case but following the revised court fee system, directed the SGPC to first deposit Rs 10 crore as fee if it wanted to pursue the case. When the committee expressed its helplessness in paying such a huge amount claiming it is “indigent” organization, the HC brushed aside these arguments and gave it eight weeks to deposit the fee.
  10. It looks like the Indian army has given up trying to defend Operation Blustar and blamed Indira for it. An Indian General claims the army said 'no' to an attack. This leaves only Brar defending the massacre now. http://www.hindustantimes.com/Punjab/Amritsar/Operation-Bluestar-was-a-political-decision-and-army-opposed-it-Gen-VK-Singh/SP-Article1-1015295.aspx In the first ever candid admission by a retired general, former chief of the army staff Gen VK Singh claimed that the army was not in favour of carrying out the task of flushing out heavily armed militants from the Golden Temple in June 1984. "I can share this information with you that the army had said no," he claimed here on Thursday when mediapersons repeatedly quizzed him on Operation Bluestar.Pointing out that he was a major in the army in 1984, the retired general claimed that the then army chief had not been in favour of the army being involved in this operation. "I share this information with due respect to him as he is no more," he said without taking the name of Gen AK Vaidya, who was the army chief then. "As the 1984 operation was a political decision, the army was dutybound to carry it out. We must remember that in a democratic set up the army operates under a political set up and has to obey orders," Gen Singh said without pinpointing the reasons for the army's opposition. Initially, the retired general-turned-anti-corruption crusader was evasive in his reply on Operation Bluestar saying he was cent pe rcent sure that the army must have opposed the decision of the government to send its officers and jawans into the shrine. However, later, he gave a more direct reply saying the army had said "no" to taking part in the operation. "Only the army understands what it is like being deployed against your own countrymen," he said. Asked about his views on involving the army in the 1984 Golden Temple operation, Gen Singh said, "One can never tell without going into the ground realities that must have existed in 1984. Until this issue is debated in detail, one cannot give a direct answer." Turning to the Naxal problem, he pointed out that during his tenure as chief of the army staff, this problem was discussed and the question of involving the army in anti-Naxal operations came up for discussion. "However, ultimately the army was not involved as we felt that Naxalism was a socio-economic problem," he revealed. However, on the army role in Jammu and Kashmir, the former chief made it clear that the armed forces had a definite role as J&K was a part of India. Moreover, J&K was facing a proxy war which was being financed and abetted from somewhere else, he added.
  11. One of the Generals responsible for the massacre of thousands of men , women and children during the 1984 has been shunned by Gurdwaras evenafter his death. This man carried out Bluestar and Woodrose with enthusiasm when other sensible Generals refused, Its good that the SGPC and Sukbir Badal have said Bluestar was an outrage against Sikhs and thats why the Bhog was refused. It sends a strong message that the Genocide paticipants are immensely disliked by Sikhs for the Gurdwara to take this action http://www.hindustantimes.com/Punjab/Chandigarh/P-kula-gurdwara-refuses-to-hold-prayers-for-1965-war-hero/SP-Article1-995938.aspx A gurdwara in Sector 7 of Panchkula refused to hold prayers to mark the death anniversary of 1965 war hero Lt Gen RS Dyal on December 30, citing his participation in Operation Bluestar, the 1984 army action by which Sikh militants seeking a separate country (Khalistan) were flushed out of theGolden Temple in Amritsar. The refusal has shocked the defence community of the region. A devout Sikh who was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra, the country's second highest war gallantry award, for the capture of the formidable Haji Pir Pass in J&K in the 1965 war with Pakistan, Lt Gen Dyal was chief of staff, Western Command, at the time of Bluestar. He retired as army commander of the Southern Command, then served as lieutenant governor of Pondicherry (Puducherry) and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and passed away on January 29 last year. "When I went to the gurdwara to ask them to conduct the rituals, they (the management) said he (Lt Gen Dyal) should have resigned over Bluestar. I was shocked. I said he had just followed orders," said the late officer's wife Barinder Kaur Dyal. "He was the hero of Haji Pir Pass. They don't remember his contribution in the 1965 war, but rake up Bluestar. This should end now." The religious service was then organised at the family residence with the help of the army's priest, and the langar (community kitchen) was organised at the Khetrapal Officers' Institute (KOI) in Chandimandir. Reasoned Harbans Singh, secretary of the Sector-7 gurudwara management, "When we had conducted the bhog (prayer) on Lt Gen Dyal's death, the Sikh sangat (community) raised a lot of questions. So this time we decided to go with the sangat." "Even during the bhog, the gurdwara management was hesitant," said Col Iqbal Singh (retd), a former aide of Lt Gen Dyal, "Arrangements were lacking, and they appeared to be handing us a favour." When HT contacted Avtar Singh Makkar, president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee (SGPC), he praised the gurdwara management. "Lt Gen Dyal was involved in the attack on the Akal Takht (the Sikh temporal seat in the Golden Temple complex). Artillery and tanks were used. He never apologised." Asked whether he recognised Lt Gen Dyal's role in the 1965 war, Makkar said, "What he did in 1984 remains unacceptable." Lt Gen Raj Kadyan (retd), chairman of the Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement (IESM) and former vice-chief of army staff, reacted, "It is a sad incident. An incident like Operation Bluestar should not be used against the army, which is a secular institution. Lt Gen Dyal was a great soldier who deserves respect. We are all proud of him as he did what was required." Terming the incident unfortunate, Lt Col SS Sohi (retd), president of the Ex-Servicemen Grievance Cell, said, "The army fights for the nation, not for a religion or caste. Soldiers like Lt Gen Dyal are rare." Lt Gen Dyal is considered one of the main officers during Bluestar along with Lt Gen K Sunderji, who was the army commander (Lt Gen Dyal's immediate superior) in the Western Command, and Lt Gen Kuldip Singh Brar, who led the troops inside the Golden Temple. General AS Vaidya, the then army chief, was assassinated in Pune in August 1986, while Lt Gen Sunderji died of natural causes in 1999. Lt Gen Brar was injured in an attack by pro-Khalistan Sikh radicals in London last year. Maj Gen KS Bajwa (retd), author of five books on wars, said, "Lt Gen Dyal does not deserve such treatment. Operation Bluestar was a Gen Sunderji's show. Lt Gen Dyal just executed what was ordered
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