The Fall of a Big Tree

The Anti-Sikh Riots of 1984

The story began in 1972 when the Congress Party won the Punjab assembly elections and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) was defeated. The Congress was in power at the center, as well, with Indira Gandhi leading the government. The SAD had put forward some political demands in the Anandpur Sahib Resolution which sought to make Punjab more autonomous and only leave matters like defense with the center. Punjab had lost 2 of the 5 rivers it is named after to the Partition and had to share the rest 3 with Haryana and Rajasthan; Punjab wanted a bigger share of the water. Moreover, they demanded the city of Chandigarh be returned which was being shared with Haryana. 

Congress dismissed these demands citing that other states need to give permission to them, too. Twice had the Indira government made a decision but those were not accepted by the SAD. To make a singlehanded decision again which would not resolve the issue would simply have been unwise. Meanwhile, in Punjab, Jarnail Singh Bhidranwale, leader of a Sikh sect called the Damdami Taksal emerged as a separatist and political opportunist who sought to create Khalistan, an independent nation for the Sikhs. Clad in a long blue robe, the 6 feet tall man inspired respect. He spoke scathingly of the Hindus but was even more scornful towards the modernized Sikhs who had forgotten the real beliefs of Sikhism and enjoyed the vices of smoking and drinking. The SAD joined hands with the influential Jarnail Singh and launched the Dharam Yudh Morcha for the approval of the Resolution and to gain public appeal. This movement gained support from young students along with the Khalistan movement. Though these students were deemed to be mere followers, they had secondary jobs too. Often, they served as Bhidranwale's acolytes and bodyguards but a number of them also enjoyed killing for religion.

Bhidranwale took up residence inside the Golden Temple complex, a sacred site in Amritsar, at the request of the Akali Dal. An arsenal of weapons was secured inside this holy place and more militants gathered. The number of shootings carried out from the golden temple at the behest of Bhidranwale was multiplying rapidly. Hindu deaths became more frequent and several families began to flee the state fearing for their lives. Police issued warrants for his arrest but his capture proved to be tricky as the detention of a leader inside a Sikh pilgrimage site may hurt Sikh sentiments and desecrate the sanctity of the temple. Several state government politicians desired to pursue him and put him behind bars but were dissuaded by the central government. Sometime later he decided to turn himself in only to be released 3 weeks later on grounds of lack of evidence. The general public viewed him as a hero who challenged the law and beat it. On 5th October 1983, a bus on the state highway was stopped by terrorists or militants, Hindus were segregated and shot dead. The President's Rule was imposed in Punjab the next day. 

By looking into Bhidranwale's background it has been revealed that he might have been a product of the Congress, Politicians Sanjay Gandhi, and Zail Singh (former Chief Minister of Punjab) in particular. Their motive was to counter the SAD but his own charisma and impression upon the Sikhs charted a different path for him. He vowed to take them on a path of purification and like a magnet attracted several artisans, laborers, and farmers. Many among them were Jats and obviously, a wide number of Sikhs were attached to him. In him, they saw a father figure it and a guiding him. 

Shubet Singh, a veteran of the East Pakistan Liberation War of 1971, decided to lend his military intelligence to the militants inside the Golden Temple. Fortifications were being built, turrets prepared and an air of war lingered. Anticipating a response from the government was obvious but the mode of retaliation was still unclear. These guided fighters were prepared for everything. In case of a siege they had food that could last a month and the defenses were tightened as to endure the wrath of the army until a mass uprising of Sikhs arrives to their rescue. The rising number of atrocities necessitated a retaliatory move from the government. Due to the failure of several political and diplomatic deliberations the army was called in and had to put an end to this chapter.

R.S. Brar, a Jat Sikh and an acquaintance of Shubet from their days together during the Bangladesh operations, was assigned the task of leading Operation Bluestar and ensure minimum loss of life and no damage to the Golden Temple complex. Unfortunately, the government undermined the power of these militants and underestimated their count. The offensive part of the operation began on the night of 5th June 1984 with sporadic attacks. The terrorists clearly outnumbered and outmaneuvered the army and Delhi granted permission to launch an attack with tanks. A full-fledged assault was launched and fire rained on the Akal Takht, a holy shrine had been converted into a battlefield, and values of Sikhism forgotten. Bhidranwale, Shubet, and the majority of the militants met their end on that day. Ironically, R.S. Brar later admired the valor of these militants which according to him merited recognition and praise. Doesn't this incident have an ironic resemblance to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre? 

"Aren't we secular?" questioned Indira Gandhi as her advisors entreated her to dismiss her Sikh bodyguards following the controversial Operation. A few weeks later, 2 enraged Sikh bodyguards shot her dead at point-blank range. This treacherous display of wrath paved the path for egregious riots which commenced on the 1st of November. The Sikh community was appalled as 'traitor'. Crimes like arson and looting were reported initially which later intensified and came out as mass homicide and rape. Fathers were burnt alive in front of their children and at times even the children weren't spared. Congress politicians abetted these evil acts and rewarded the miscreants with liquor and ₹100 notes. Furthermore, the ignorance of the police officers towards the cries of help of the innocent Sikhs and often support for the unlawful exacerbated this "genocide". Heaps of corpses were piled up and incinerated. Loss of life was maximum in New Delhi, estimated to be more than 3,000. Perhaps, the effect could have been assuaged if the army had been summoned this time, too, but the unwillingness of the government only gives rise to more questions with no answers. It went on to become the worst attack on the community after the tragic violence of the Partition. 

Indira Gandhi was a beloved leader who empathized with the poor. Under her leadership, the nation had won the 1971 Indo-Pak War. The economy was pretty stable as well. The Hindus viewed the Khalistan Movement as a threat to the unity of India and feared that it was bound to secede Punjab from the nation. Rajiv Gandhi, Indira's son, succeeded her as the Prime Minister of India. Surely, the demise of his mother must have been a tough period to endure  but his comment on the riots was an insensitive one as the Prime Minister said at a public rally:  "When a big tree falls, the earth shakes."

Written by Vaibhav and Veertej

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