What happens in the Harmandir?

Answer 1

etween June 3 and June 6, 1984, the Indian Army led by General Kuldip Singh Brar brought troops into the Harmandir Sahib to arrest Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. He and some followers had taken refuge in the Harmandir Sahib, and resisted the police who sought to arrest him for suspected acts of terrorism.

By 1983, the Harmandir Sahib became a shelter for a large number of militants. Mark Tully and Satish Jacob wrote[10]: "All ... [Bhindranwale's] terrorists were known by name to the shopkeepers and the householders who live in the narrow alleys surrounding the Golden Temple ... The Punjab police must have known who they were also, but they made no attempt to arrest them. By this time Bhindranwale and his men were above the law."

The Harmandir Sahib complex and some of the surrounding houses were fortified. The Statesman reported on July 4 that light machine-guns and sophisticated self-loading rifles were known to have brought into the compound.

Indira Gandhi ordered the army to launch Operation Blue Star.

Fierce fighting ensued between Bhindranwale's supporters and the soldiers, in which many of Bhindranwale's supporters were killed along with many soldiers. An official account tallies the deaths of 83 soldiers and 492 civilians[11]. However, many journalists abroad and in India consider the pilgrim death toll to be much higher, up to 2000[citation needed]. The Harmandir Sahib complex also suffered much damage due to the fighting, especially the holy Sri Akal Takhat Sahib.