By Kanwal Jit Singh Gill
Sikhs all around the world are very sadly remembering and paying homage to thousands of innocent lives lost 30 years ago in Operation Blue Star. And so far in 30 years we haven’t heard the real answers that why this OBS was very necessary and army had to attack Harminder Sahib on that particular day of Shaheedi Gurpurab of Guru Arjan Devji with thousands of innocent worshippers in there ?
Today I’ll ask Media and journalists why they have failed to raise and ask these questions from the Govt. all these years ? So far we have been hearing Govt. Propaganda that Sant Bhindrawale was a big threat to the Nation and Govt. had to attack the Harminder Sahib. And even if we believe the Govt. that Sant Bhindrawale was wrong to be in there with his associates and weapons, even then many questions come to our mind. How can Sant Bhindrawale and approx. 200 people in Harminder Sahib could really be such a big threat to Nation? They were all surrounded by thousands of army men with tanks then how could they have harmed the country? Why the Govt. couldn’t accept suggestions of some army officers (Lt. Gen. Sinha and Maj. Gen. Jamwal) to cut power, water and food supplies, and try to solve it peacefully and even give chance to innocent worshippers to come out? What was the big rush to attack that particular day? Why the Govt. couldn’t accept these suggestions and wait for a few more days and give chance to innocent people to come out? Didn’t the Govt. had the responsibility and duty to save the lives of thousands of those innocent persons? If Indira Gandhi ignored all such advice and didn’t care for innocent persons in there and was committed to attack that very day, then doesn’t it proves that Indira Gandhi had some other ulterior and political motives ? The Media has even ignored Lt. Gen. Sinha’s comments that suggest Indira Gandhi had started planning to attack Harminder Sahib long time earlier when terrorism was not that big problem in Punjab that required army action. And Sinha was against this idea of army attack. Why the Media has always ignored Lt. Gen. Sinha’s comments ? Why the Media never questioned that why senior Sinha was bypassed and Indira Gandhi appointed junior Vaidya as army Chief ? Before talking to Lt. Gen. Sinha, Indira Gandhi must have discussed all good and bad points of such army action with her core set of advisrs few months earlier. And if all these things are put gather and then it suggests that Indira Gandhi had started thinking about such army action in 1982 when terrorism wasn’t a big problem in Punjab and Sant Bhindrawale not even in Akali Takhat complex. Why the media journalists have always never asked these questions ? Now even the facts about Indian Govt. asking British Govt’s advice earlier has also come out in the open. All these things point out that Indira Gandhi had started planning this army attack long time earlier and must have ulterior political motives leading to this attack. It may be because of Sikhs playing big role in opposing her Dictatorial emergency rule or her plans to be called Durga Mata and get Hindu majority votes in the next elections ? I’ll request Media to wake up and have courage to start asking these questions and try to find out the real answers to this OBS and killing of thousands of innocent persons.
Kanwal Jit Singh Gill is a Surrey-based writer.
