The Truth About 1984, As Told By Gyaani Puran Singh

[DhadiMania]

A benti to the admin to make this a sticky

Waheguru Ji Ka khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

Gurmukh pyaare Bhai Sahib Sant Singh Ji Maskeen has asked me about what happened on the 5th (implying fifth of June 1984). Sarkar (meaning himself) saw a lot and I have been asked to talk about the 5th. Because on that day at 7.30 I went to Sri Akal Takhat Sahib. There Mahapursh (Jarnail Singh Ji) Khalsa Bhinderanwale, with Baba Jarnail Singh Ji I had his darshan (saw him) and I gave out a bachan (order) as well. The time was roughly 7.30, and there were a lot of bullets flying about. After I met Sant Ji, I went to the inside of Sri Darbar Sahib, to see if the rehraas would be carried out by gurmukh pyaara Singh Sahib Gyaani Mohan Singh. When the bullets had increased even more, he could not get to Darbar Sahib (implying he was at the Akal Takhat). I came down from the Akal Takhat Sahib and at that time a lot of bullets were going off. I saw a few Singhs sitting below as they did a protest and I was able to sit with them for a while. I eventually said to them “Bhai Gurmukho! Please make sure Bhai Mohan Singh is able to pass here safely (Gyaani Mohan Singh at the time being at the Akal Takhat as well).” And they made sure of that. And they also made sure that the rehraas at Sri Akal Takhat Sahib also took place as well. The rehraas sahib at Sri Harimandir Sahib starts five minutes earlier than the rehraas done at Akal Takhat Sahib. As the bullets increased, i realised that Gyaani Mohan Singh could not pass without (most likely) being hit. I ran from Sri Akal Takhat Sahib, in doing so a bullet had just missed me and hit Darshani Deori. I rested at Darshani Deori for two minutes and had a little rest. And the bullets increased even more so I decided to run towards Siri Harimandir Sahib, in doing so, a bullet did hit the Harimandir Sahib. I went and the rehraas had started by me (gyaani Mohan Singh should have done the duty, but he was too late to do so). In doing so, Gyaani Mohan Singh also came at the same time as well (just). Our problem was that there were twenty-two other Singhs inside the sanctorum. In which, there were some pyaara and sewadars with us there (high spirited people). We, when we began to do the rehraas da bhog, the bullets started hitting darbar sahib and a lot of smoke was around as well. From our side, we could not do the swaree of Maharaj and take him outside. We did the sukhasan and took maharaj to the top floor of Harimandir Sahib, and that is where we were. At the time of 10pm did the tanks roll in (first the fight was going outside of the sanctorum, and eventually came in with the help of Tanks). With the bullets and fighting going around, the town was ablaze eventually. We saw from the top of Darbar Sahib that a lot of bullets were going off. We saw a fire engine with the lights blazing on top trying to put out the flames in the town. They took water from the sarover (holy water) to put out the flames. A little time later did it come into the parikarma. First two fire brigades came, and then more and more, in doing so they were putting out the flames that the pilgrims had on them, we heard women crying. The war had finished taking place on the outside of the whole complex with four tanks rolling in and literally setting the complex ablaze. With our own eyes did we see from the top of darbar sahib people who were set alight running into the sarowar to cool themselevs. At 10pm, everything beyond Darshani Deori was under Military Occupation. Then did I see Singhs fighting, I think there were at least fourty or fifty. The other Singhs had their links cut off. They fought so bravely did each a single Singh fight, and they carried on until they became shaheed (matyred) or until their ammunition had finished.

Two Singhs doing the Jaikara (Sikh war cry of “Bole So Nihal!) with great prem, only to be greeted by other Singhs with the same amount of Joash (enthusiasm).

From 10pm till half four were we on the top floor of Sri Darbar Sahib witnessing all this (along with Gyaani Mohan Singh). We did Maharaj di Swari , did the prakash and took the hukamnama and then did the Asa Di // da kirtan start. The raagi Singhs from that day are no longer with us. Because after they did their duty, they went. Bhai Amrik Singh is probably the only one who survived (as a raagi) but the other Raagi Singhs had got their shaheedi (matyred) outside Darshani Deori. Inside, the jatha of Bhai Randhir Singh, who on that day did the Asa Di //. From that group, Bhai Avtaar Singh had got shaheedi inside the Darbar Sahib. He closed one of the doors and in doing so, he got his shaheedi there. From there on, all four sides of Darbar Sahib were being shot at. One of the bullets hit Dhan Shiri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, in which, this bir is still present. This is a puratan bir given by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. This was the bir that we did the prakash on that day. The whole night passed on like so. Even the next day passed just the same as well. Just before 4pm the next day the army began to throw gas bombs at Sri Akal Takhat Sahib. If they had not done this, it is possible that the Singhs would have carried on fighting all day, and all night.

A Singh does the Jaikara with great prem, only to be greeted by other Singhs with the same amount of Joash (enthusiasm).

Around the Darbar Sahib did they do all this. At half four, the commander of the Army (Brar) had set up a few speakers near Darshani Deori and asked if there were any survivors (i.e. child, woman, any elderly etc) was around. They did not let one pilgrim away from their site. All were shot. There were probably a few survivors who hid amongst the corpses. At that time, the twenty two Singhs with us had got up (after saying Sat Siri Akal). Me and Gyaani Mohan Singh gave a message to the Singhs to tell the officers that there were still two singh sahibs inside the Darbar Sahib. And if you want to call them, you will have send your troops to get us.

A Singh does the Jaikara with great prem, only to be greeted by other Singhs with the same amount of Joash.

When the Singhs told Brar about this, he did not believe them. He went on the speakers and said the message three times to the Singh Sahib’s (the two Granthi Singhs in the darbar) to come out with their hands held up in the air. We both came to the conclusion that if we walk out with our hands in the air, and walk towards them, they could well easily shoot us, what’s the point of that? Therefor, we were prepared to get shaheedi in the Darbar Sahib itself and in doing so, we would be well remembered after that. For this, we refused to come out with our hands in the air and walk towards them. So, from half four till half seven did we stay in the Darbar Sahib. Then at 7.30 did two troopers come with a sewadar (helper) to call us. When we came out, that Singh was alive, just after we came he died. We gave them water and then the soldier said it was meant to be (the Singh dying). Me and Gyaani Mohan Singh replied that if we live we will make sure we will think about something against you. Then from there did Brar start speaking through the speaker and said to his soldiers that no-one is allowed to fire at these two. We walked out of the bridge leading to Darshan Deori. And when we came out of Darshani Deori, we saw the Akal Takhat reduced to rubble. We saw some Singhs mangled in the rubble. When we came towards Brar, he said Sat Sri Akal to both of us. He said that he was a Sikh as well and asked what we would like to do. We replied and said we need to get put of here, it had been along time since they had urinated and nor were we able to get water and we are in great pain. We suggested to Brar that he called for two Singh Sahibs to escort us, but he did not agree. So we said at least let us go to the toilets then. That he agreed to that. After going to the toilets, we washed our hands and washed our faces. By that time it was 8pm now. At that time as well, no-one knew about the whereabouts of Sant Ji. When we returned, we were asked “where is Bhinderanwale, we will not say anything, and nor will we kill him.”

Singhs now saying “Bhinderanwale Zindabad”

We replied “Brothers, we were inside Darbar Sahib all that time. We do not know about Sant Ji. You should know, you have either killed him or you have released him.” The Soldiers then said that on the top of Darbar Sahib were fitted machine guns. We then replied that “Not one fighting Singh entered Darbar Sahib and not one bullet came out of Darbar Sahib during all that time.” They were not ready to believe. They killed a lot of our people and there were a lot of bullets hitting Siri Harimandir Sahib. They wanted proof to our claims, we were more than happy to prove our claims. Five people came with us, one of them being a Singh (an officer) who wanted to observe our claims. When we began to walk, the Singh said (out of the blue) “you go first and we will follow you. If our Jawans (Soldiers) start getting shot, we will shoot you.” We said “Yes fire at us, because no-one here will fire.” They looked at the top of Darbar Sahib and saw no machine gun as first stated by the army. I said to the officer “You are an officer and you said that we fitted machine guns from the top of Darbar Sahib, if there was a machine gun fitted, then sandbags would have been there as well, and you have not even seen one sandbag here, now say if a bullet came from here.” The officer gave no answer and eventually said no bullet came from here. Then the Singh came….

Gyaani Ji interrupted by a Singh, who does the Jaikara with great prem, only to be greeted by other Singhs with the same amount of Joash.

And when we came across that Singh, he said that one Singh became shaheed (reference to Bhai Avtaar Singh), we took one of the cloths from Darbar Sahib (chadar) and clothed it around Bhai Sahib Ji. And the whole day passed like that, it was only on the seventh June 7.30 were we permitted to go home. Just when we got out of the complex were we informed that three bodies had been confirmed (Sant Ji, Bhai Amrik Singh and Bhai Shubeg Singh). I asked the Singh officer where they found the body of Sant Ji, and replied that it had been found he had been found between the two Nishaan Sahibs. The other two bodies had been found just behind the Nishaan Sahibs. However, we got a report that Sant Ji’s body had been confirmed elsewhere

(I think it says in a room in the Akal Takhat Sahib). They did not show us the body of Sant Ji and no-one else either. At 7.30 we went home. It was only then that the military had called for Singh Sahib Gyaani Sahib Singh (the then head Granthi of Darbar Sahib). They told him the same about Sant Ji’s body, and he politely asked to see the body. They did not show him either, the body.

That is why….

A Singh is about to do the Jaikara, but Singhs interrupt him. A small scuffle takes place.

If Sant Ji was truly found, they would have asked us to prove if this was Sant Ji. Even when Gyaani Sahib Singh asked to see the body, even then he was not shown it. Gyaani Sahib Singh had asked for the body another three times, and was greeted by a soldier saying that if he went anywhere near where the body is now he would be shot. But they did not show it him. For this, if they truly had Sant Ji’s body, they would have done exactly what they did when they paraded the shasters (weapons). With the Shasters, they would have shown Sant Ji as well. Or, they would have killed another person who did a small talk on this issue and have placed images everywhere in which, the sarkar would have spent some money giving out these posters. The military claim that a few hundreds of pilgrims were killed. The same military said that they lost 100 men in this operation. not hundreds, thousands of pilgrims were killed and the same amount of Soldiers were killed.

A Singh does the Jaikara with great prem, only to be greeted by other Singhs with the same amount of Joash.

And to that body….

A Singh does the Jaikara with great prem, only to be greeted by other Singhs with the same amount of Joash.

They would have posted it and make the Sikh nation look stupid, and always on television it would be paraded. It could be that the Delhi government had the body and kept it for a long while, but it turned out that even then they did not get the body, therefor, it shows he is not shaheed (matyred).

Many Singhs do the Jaikara with great prem, only to be greeted by other Singhs with the same amount of Joash. During this time, Gyaani Ji is reminded about something else and eventually goes on to talk about something else.

Another thing I must talk about something else. It’s very interesting! Only two minutes more! On the seventh, when we came home. The Head Granthi was with the military. A Jatha (group) of four Singhs were stationed near the Ramgharia Bunga. Here they dug up a trench. These Singhs were still fighting. Three Soldiers from the Army went towards the trench. One of them was a doctor and a captain followed by two military. The four Singhs pulled three of the military people and killed them.

A Singh tries to say the Jaikara, only for Gyaani ji to interrupt him and let him finish on what he wants to say.

The military gave these orders that they should release the Soldiers (if alive) and these Singhs should come out with their hands in the air. The Singhs wanted another Singh to talk to them (who survived the attack), and then they would come out by a freed Singhs orders. Not otherwise. The military brought me back to the complex to speak to these Singhs. When I came, Gyaani Sahib Singh was there as well. The army wanted me to speak to them. There were two officers with us, one Singh and a Hindu brigadier. I said i wanted them to meet my demands that if I managed to get them out, then they must not be shot upon. The two soldiers said “This we cannot say, but you will have to talk to this man.” I spoke to the Brigadier and he said they would not be killed here. I knew they may not shoot here, but would most likely take him elsewhere to shoot him. This I said to the Brigadier and explained this will be a burden on my head, in doing so I would be leading these Singhs to their death and other kharkoo (brave) Singhs would be after me. i said don’t kill them but instead do what the law rightfully says. The Brigadier answered back and said “three of our men have been killed, find out if that officer/doctor is alive still. Then we will forgive them and we will not shoot them.

I began to speak on the speakers and said “Singho! Many have become matyrs and you are still here. Please say what you want.” The Singhs replied with “Whatever order you give us, we will do.”

When I asked about the doctor and about three men coming their way and if any of them were alive. The Singh replied that no military person was alive in their dug up. The Brigadier then said to me “Baba ji (old wise man), you may go, we will take them out now.” Even that, all day they fought. The other night they fought, the other day they fought. When Gyaani Zail Singh came, even then the Singh were fighting.

The Singhs can be heard rejoicing.

Gyaani ji is asking for calm now.

And after that I will say Fateh (the Sikh greeting).

The Singhs kept fighting even when Gyaani Zail Singh came (the then President of India).

Now its getting out of control, Gyaani Ji pauses.

so Gyaani Zail Singh was going to come

Singhs start getting rowdy and shout

It carried on until Gyaani Zail Singh came

Here it gets more rowdy, if you listen carefully, you can hear Singh telling Gyaani Puran Singh "Gyaani Na Kaho" (don’t call him Gyaani) in which Gyaani Puran Singh replies with "acha acha" (Ok).

Sorry, until Zail Singh came, they stopped fighting. And at that time, some people reckoned that the Singhs had shot Zail Singh. But no, if they knew that their enemy was here, they would have perhaps shot him. But considering the fact the Singhs were in a trench, they obviously did not know. At that time, a Colnel of the military was one of the commandos. I saw with my own eyes he had a gun, which had a battery fitted on top (meaning, he had an Electro gun). Which could fire at night. He tried to shoot, but they took him to the trench. From there, some people began to fire at the bungas (some of the towers around the complex, hoping that the debris would hit the Singhs). But nothing happened. Then the Army began to throw grenades. The Army told me that the grenades were of no use, considering they carried on firing. They compared the bodies of these singhs to how the earth gives out pure water (as in when water comes out from the ground, which is something rare!).

Singhs begin to mutter, Gyaani Ji stops.

Those Singhs were eventually flushed out with grenades that had with them red peppers. They would light the peppers, throw it towards the Singhs, and throw smoke bombs. This proved very effective on the Singhs eyes. Then one Singh got out right from the trench and was shot (became shaheed), the other three were looking for water as they got out and even they attained shaheedi. On the 10th they attained Shaheedi (matyrdom).

There are so many other things I could talk to you about. What I saw myself, I have not told anyone else what I did, this is the first time i have told anyone about my experiences, slowly and slowly i will tell everyone these stories.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa

Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

[Revolutionary]

Amazing article

DEFINETLY: STICKY PLEASE!!!

[Lion(LK)King]

Where is this from? Do you have any links kandola jee..or?

Puran Singh's narrations of th things can also be found in Citizens for Democracy's report "Oppression in Punjab: Report to the Nation", where they interview many eyewitnesses only ONE YEAR after the attach.

THe Part on bluestar can be found on allaboutsikhs.com

[khalsaforce]

I think i have the audio of this. let me upload it for the sangat. Its in punjabi so engreji singho read the report.

Where is this from? Do you have any links kandola jee..or?

Puran Singh's narrations of th things can also be found in Citizens for Democracy's report "Oppression in Punjab: Report to the Nation", where they interview many eyewitnesses only ONE YEAR after the attach.

THe Part on bluestar can be found on allaboutsikhs.com

ok its done now. Click Here

I think i have the audio of this. let me upload it for the sangat. Its in punjabi so engreji singho read the report.

Where is this from? Do you have any links kandola jee..or?

Puran Singh's narrations of th things can also be found in Citizens for Democracy's report "Oppression in Punjab: Report to the Nation", where they interview many eyewitnesses only ONE YEAR after the attach.

THe Part on bluestar can be found on allaboutsikhs.com

[Guest PunjabSingh]

WJKK WJKF,

I found the below article on http://www.sikhs.org .

Though some what late it is relevant with this topic :

Tuesday May 25th

100,000 Indian Army troops are mobilized and deployed throughout Punjab surrounding all important Gurdwars including the Golden Temple complex.

Friday June 1st

Thousands of pilgrims start to gather at the Golden Temple complex to celebrate the martyrdom anniversary of Guru Arjan Dev on June 3rd.

As Bindranwale sits on the roof of the Langer hall, police snipers open fire on him. They missed and Sikh militants fired back. A seven hour skirmish during the night lasting until the morning leaves 11 dead and 25 injured. There were bullet holes in the Langer building, in the marble pavement (parkarma) surrounding the Golden Temple and in the Golden Temple itself.

Sunday June 3rd

All communications including phone lines to and from Punjab are cut. Road blocks prevent anyone from entering or leaving Punjab and all journalists are expelled from Punjab. A total curfew is imposed and as many as 10,000 pilgrims are trapped inside the temple complex.

Milk vendors from the villages who supply milk to the city of Amritsar are shot dead for violating the curfew orders.

Monday June 4th

The army starts firing on the temple complex and their is a gun battle lasting 5 hours. Using machine guns and mortars the army fires at militant positions atop the two 18th century towers called Ramgarhia Bunga's, and the water tank behind Teja Singh Samundri Hall as well as surrounding buildings. At least 100 are killed on both sides.

Tuesday June 5th

At 7:00 p.m. Operation Blue Star, the invasion of The Golden Temple begins with tanks of the 16th Cavalry Regiment of the Indian Army moving to enclose the Golden Temple complex. Troops are briefed not to use their guns against the Golden Temple itself or the Akal Takht. Artillery is used to blast off the tops of the Ramgarhia Bungas and the water tank. Scores of buildings in and around the temple complex are blazing. One artillery shell lands more than 5 km away in the crowded city.

In the narrow alley behind the Akal Takht paramilitary commandos try to get into the temple. Some make it to the roof but are turned back due to the heavy gunfire. Meanwhile tanks move into the square in front of the northern entrance to the Golden Temple known as the clock tower entrance.

At 10:30 pm commandos from the 1st Battalion, the Parachute Regiment try to run down the steps under the clock tower onto the marble parkarma around the sacred pool. They face heavy gunfire, suffering casualties and are forced to retreat. A second wave of commandos manage to neutralize the machine gun posts on either side of the steps and get down to the parkarma.

The Akal Takht is heavily fortified with sandbags and brick gun emplacements in its windows and arches. From here and the surrounding buildings the militants are able to fire at any commandos who make their way in front of the Gurdwara.

Two companies of the 7th Garhwal Rifles enter the temple complex from the opposite side on the southern gate entrance and after a gun battle are able to establish a position on the roof of the Temple library. They are reinforced by two companies of the 15th Kumaons. Repeated unsuccessful attempts are made to storm the Akal Takht.

Wednesday June 6th

After midnight tanks are used to break down the steps leading to the parkarma from the hostel side and an 8-wheeled Polish-built armored personnel carrier makes it's way towards the Akal Takht. It is destroyed by a Chinese-made rocket propelled grenade launcher.

Six or more Vijayanta tanks enter the temple complex crushing the delicate marble inlays of the parkarma and plow their way towards the Akal Takht. Orders arrive and the tanks start firing their large 105mm cannons equipped with high explosive squash-head shells into the Akal Takht. These shells are designed for hard targets like armour and fortifications. When the shells his a target, their heads spread or squash on the hard surface. Their fuses are arranged to allow a short delay between the impact and the shells igniting, so that a shock-wave passes through the target and a heavy slab of armour or masonry is forced away from the inside of the target armour or fortification.

The effect on the Akal Takht, the most sacred of the five Takhts, is devastating. Over 80 shells are pumped into the sacred Gurdwara. The entire front of the Takht is destroyed and fires break out in many of the different rooms blackening the marble walls and wrecking the delicate decorations dating back to the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Marble inlays, plaster and mirror work, filigree partitions and priceless old wall paintings are all destroyed.

The gold dome of the Akal Takht is also badly damaged by artillery fire. At one stage a 3.7 inch Howell gun is mounted on the roof of a building behind the shrine and fired a number of times at the beautiful dome.

At the other end of the Temple complex on the easternmost side a battalion of the Kumaon Regiment were invading the hostel complex where many of the innocent pilgrims were in hiding as well as the temple administration staff. There was no water because the water tower had been destroyed and it was very hot.

(Bhan Singh, Secretary of S.G.P.C.)

"They cut our electricity and water supplies. It was very hot in the rooms. There was no water. We had only two plastic buckets of water. Longowal had to place two people as guards over the buckets. Many people would squeeze their undershirts to drink their sweat to quench their thirst."

Around 1:00 am the Army entered the hostel and administrative buildings and ordered everyone out and made them sit in the courtyard of the Guru Ram Das Hostel. There were about 250 people who came out.

(Bhan Singh)

"Suddenly there was a big explosion. All hell broke loose. It was pitch dark. People started running back into the verandah and the rooms. I and Abhinashi Singh were sitting next to Gurcharan Singh, the former Secretary of the Akali Dal whom Bhindranwale accused of murdering Sodhi. Gurcharan was shot as he tried to run inside. We realized that soldiers were shooting at us. They thought someone from among the crowd had exploded the grenade. But it was probably thrown by extremists on the water tank overlooking the Guru Ram Das Serai (Hostel). We ran to Tohra's room and told Longowal what was happening. Longowal came out and shouted at the Major. He said, 'Don't shoot these people. They are not extremists. They are employees of the S.G.P.C.' The Major then ordered his men to stop shooting. Later in the morning we counted at least seventy dead bodies in the compound. There were women and children too."

Among the dead were 35 women and 5 children. The survivors were made to sit in the courtyard of the Guru Ram Das Hostel until curfew was lifted the next evening. They were not given any food, water or medical aid. People drank whatever water was in puddles in the courtyard from the blown up water tank.

(Karnail Kaur, mother of 3 young children)

"When people begged for water some soldiers told them to drink the mixture of blood and urine on the ground."

Many of the young men in the group of innocent unarmed civilians were then shot by the soldiers.

(Bhan Singh)

"I saw about 35 or 36 Sikhs lined up with their hands raised above their heads. And the major was about to order them to be shot. When I asked him for medical help, he got into a rage, tore my turban off my head, and ordered his men to shoot me. I turned back and fled, jumping over the bodies of the dead and injured, and saving my life crawling along the walls. I got to the room where Tohra and Sant Longowal were sitting and told them what I had seen. Sardar Karnail Singh Nag, who had followed me, also narrated what he had seen, as well as the killing of 35 to 36 young Sikhs by cannon fire. All of these young men were villagers."

(Ranbir Kaur, School Teacher)

"Early on the sixth morning the army came into the Guru Ram Das Serai and ordered all of those in the rooms to come out. We were taken into the courtyard. The men were separated from the women. We were also divided into old and young women and I was separated from the children, but I managed to get back to the old women. When we were sitting there the army released 150 people from the basement. They were asked why they had not come out earlier. They said the door had been locked from the outside. They were asked to hold up their hands and then they were shot after 15 minutes. Other young men were told to untie their turbans. They were used to tie their hands behind their backs. The army hit them on the head with the butts of their rifles."

(Sujjan Singh Margindpuri)

"The young men and some other pilgrims were staying in Room Number 61. The army searched all the rooms of the Serai. Nothing objectionable was found from their room. Nor did the army find anything objectionable on their persons. The army locked up 60 pilgrims in that room and shut not only the door but the window also. Electric supply was disconnected. The night between June 5th and June 6th was extremely hot. The locked-in young men felt very thirsty after some time, and loudly knocked on the door from inside to ask the army men on duty for water. They got abuses in return, but no water. The door was not opened. Feeling suffocated and extremely thirsty, the men inside began to faint and otherwise suffer untold misery. The door of the room was opened at 8 am on June 6th. By this time 55 out of the 60 had died. The remaining 5 were also semi-dead."

By morning light, there is only sporadic sniper fire from the rubble of the Akal Takht. By late afternoon the army was firmly in control of the Temple complex and curfew was lifted for two hours to allow people who were still in hiding to come out.

(Giani Puran Singh)

"I went to the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) on 5th June around 7:30 in the evening because I had to ensure that religious ceremonies were performed. The moment I stepped on to the parkarma I stumbled across a body. Bullets were flying and I had to take shelter behind each and every pillar to reach the Darshani Deorhi. Another body was lying there. I ran a few yards and reached the Akal Takht. Night prayers start at Harmandir Sahib five minutes after they start at the Akal Takht. I wanted to find out if the path (recitation) had started there. I had a glimpse of Bhindranwale. We did not speak to each other. Around 7:45 I came out of the Akal Takht and ran into the Darshani Deorhi. I ran towards Harmandir Sahib, unmindful of the bullets flying past my ears. I began night prayers. Soon a colleague of mine, Giani Mohan Singh, joined me. Seeing the intensity of the fire we decided to close all the doors, barring the front door. Soon we completed all religious rites. We then took the Guru Granth Sahib to the top room to prevent any damage to the holy book. The Head Priest, Giani Sahib Singh, had given clear instructions that under no circumstances was the Guru Granth Sahib to be taken to the Akal Takht if the conditions were not right.

Looking through the window-pane from the first floor of the Harmandir Sahib, I saw a tank standing on the parkarma with its lights on. I thought for a moment that it was the fire brigade come to collect water from the srowar (holy pool) to put out the fire which was raging in almost every room. A few minutes later my belief was shattered when I saw the vehicle emitting fire instead of putting it out. By 10:30 or so around 13 tanks had collected on the parkarma. They had come after crushing the staircase from the eastern wing where Guru Ram Das Serai, the Langer and the Teja Singh Samundari Hall are situated. One after another the cannon fire lit the sky. When the first shell hit the bottom of the Darshani Deorhi, creating a hole in it, I saw the room with the historic chandni (canopy) presented by Maharaja Ranjit Singh catching fire. One after another the big bombs hit the Darshani Deorhi in quick succession, and what was once a lovely building was now on fire. The Toshakhana (Treasury) was also on fire. Occasionally a bullet would hit the Harmandir Sahib. We were 27 people inside, mostly ragis (singers) and sevadars (temple servants).

In the early hours of the morning of 6th June we took the holy book down and performed the religious rites that are performed every day, like maharaj da prakash karna (unfolding the holy book) and reciting hymns from the scriptures. The two side-doors were closed and the front and back doors were open. Bullets kept hitting the wall both inside and outside, ripping off the gold surface at various places. Soon after we finished reciting prayers one of our colleagues, Ragi Avtar Singh was hit. We pulled him into a corner. Another bullet came and hit the holy Granth Sahib. We have preserved this book.

In the meanwhile the pounding of the Akal Takht was continuing. There was no let-up in the fire in other places either. We were thirsty and desperate for water. We crawled to the holy pool to get water for ourselves and for the wounded colleague.

Around 5pm they announced on loudspeakers that those hiding in the Harmandir Sahib should come out and that they would not be shot dead. While myself and Giani Mohan Singh remained inside, others walked out with the arms above their heads."

Over 300 bullet holes were counted in the Golden Temple itself.

With the lifting of the curfew innocent Sikhs thought that by coming out from hiding they would now be safe. Sadly this was not the case.

(Narinderjit Singh Nada, Temple Public Relations Officer)

"On the fifth night, the night of the real assault, mortars started throwing up plaster. My wife and I and my two daughters decided to go down from our flat on the first floor to the office, which is on the ground floor. At this point I thought of surrendering but I was told by a Bhindranwale man, 'One more step outside the complex and you are a dead man'. Faced with this threat to my entire family plus the insecurity of the office room, I decided to move down to a small basement where there was a fridge. An exhaust fan outlet in the basement proved a life saver. I could hear soldiers speaking outside and different instructions from their commanders. Next to the basement was another cubicle facing the Temple where a sewadar used to sleep. I heard the army drag out this man. He was shot. Since extremists had been using all possible openings as pill boxes and grenade launchers the soldiers decided to lob grenades into all such openings, including my fan outlet. The minute I heard the order we all moved under a staircase. Minutes later two grenades came in. The splinters took three inches away from most of the walls. But luckily we escaped. We spent the night under the staircase. Eventually at about 11 am on the 6th my wife noticed an officer standing outside. She called out to him to attract his attention and requested him to rescue us. She told him that she had two young daughters. The officer behaved decently and said, 'Don't worry I too have two daughters. Nothing will happen to you. Stay put.' He organized chapattis, pickes and drinking water. He eventually let us out when curfew lifted.

We had to step over dead bodies strewn everywhere. We were taken to the square in front of the main clock tower entrance. The minute the soldiers saw me, a male member of the group, they positioned their rifles on their shoulders with the barrels pointing at me. I think they were about to shoot me when a brigadier who recognized me intervened. We were then led by soldiers across the parkarma to the library side. A lieutenant accompanied us. Upon reaching the other side he asked me to stand against the wall and lined up a firing squad. He asked me to say my prayers. I requested to say good-bye to my wife and the two daughters. At this point the brigadier showed up again and shouted at the young officer, 'What the hell are you doing!' The officer said, 'Sir, I misunderstood your order. I thought this man was to be shot.'

Now we were made to sit on the ground. My hands were tied behind my back. We were about 70 in that lot. All of us were told to keep our heads down. A slight movement of the head resulted in a sharp rifle butt. We spent the whole night sitting there."

Outside the Temple complex the army troops were on a brutal rampage, killing and looting surrounding houses of Sikhs.

(Subhash Kirpekar, Journalist)

"On the way back to the hotel (afternoon of June 6th) I witnessed a scene at the Kotwali which is blood curdling. This is where some soldiers were kicking some of the 11 suspected terrorists as they knelt on their bare knees and crawled on the hot road surface."

(Giani Chet Singh)

"The people were taken out of their houses. Men's hands were tied with their turbans. Women's necks were sought to be asphyxiated with their plaits. Then they were shot in the chests. No quarter was shown to women, aged or children; in the eyes of the troops every Sikh was a terrorist. Those who survived died of thirst. Their houses were ransacked, and then put on fire. The area surrounding Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) was full of debris. What happened is beyond description of sight, hearing or words."

As night fell the Army troops were given the order to storm the remains of the Akal Takht and shoot on site anyone they found inside. The troops encounter little resistance and find dead bodies and the smell of death everywhere.

Thursday June 7th

In the early hours of the morning the troops discover the bodies of Bhindranwale and his closest followers in the basement of the Akal Takht.

The day was spent in clean up operations flushing out any remaining snipers and collecting the dead bodies. Soldiers were openly walking about the temple in their shoes, drinking alcohol as well as smoking. Blood and bodies were strewn all over the broken marble of the parkarma. With putrefying corpses floating in the sacred pool of nectar and the smell of death everywhere.

The Darshani Deori the entrance gate of the Golden Temple which houses many priceless treasures was destroyed and looted. Although fighting had now died down, the central library complex was mysteriously burned down. Many priceless manuscripts, some in the Gurus own handwriting were lost forever.

The number of people who lost their lives will never be known. The Army refused to let the Red Cross enter the complex and cremated the dead before the bodies could be identified or claimed by their families. The Amritsar municipal sweepers refused to clear the dead bodies away but were eventually persuaded by offers of rum and being allowed to strip the bodies of all valuables. They piled the dead into garbage trucks and unceremoniously cremated them. Family members were not allowed by the army to claim the remains or perform any traditional funeral rites. It is clear that thousands lost their lives in the Temple complex.

Elsewhere across Punjab hundreds of Sikhs were killed in the army operation at the same time which saw 42 Gurdwaras raided at the same time as the Golden Temple, including high casualties at Moga, Mukatsar, Faridkot, Patiala, Ropar and Chowk Mehta.

Aftermath

Kar Seva is the ceremonial cleaning of the sacred pool is normally undertaken every 50 years. A special Kar Seva was undertaken in 1985 to replace some of the damage. Tens of thousands of Sikhs participated and the sacred pool of nectar was completely drained and cleaned.

Restoration work has taken 15 years to complete.The Akal Takht has been entirely rebuilt. The marble of the parkarma has been replaced in sections with new marble. Repair work on Harmandir Sahib included reguilding the temple dome and walls with new gold. The Ramgharia Bungas have been repaired and Teja Singh Samundri Hall has been left, pockmarked with bullet holes as a reminder of the tragedy.

What was one of the darkest chapters of Sikh history, reminiscent of the persecution the Sikhs faced at the hands of the Mughals has acted like a lightening rod for all Sikhs. It should not be viewed as a cause of incitement of hatred, but rather as a jolting reminder to Sikhs that they cannot take the existence of their religion for granted. As caretakers of the Sikh religion, it is up to Sikhs to actively participate and make sure that the message of the Gurus and the Sikh religion survives and grows, overcoming any and all adversities