Operation Blue Star

Op Blue Star was mistake, Indira Gandhi paid with her life: Chidambaram

Congress leader P Chidambaram said Operation Blue Star was not the right way to capture militants holed up in the Golden Temple in 1984, due to which the then prime minister, Indira Gandhi, "paid with her life". "There was a way to retrieve and capture all militants but Operation Blue Star was the wrong way and I agree that Mrs Gandhi paid with her life for the mistake but the mistake was cumulative decision of the Army, intelligence, police and civil defence and you cannot completely blame Mrs Gandhi," the former home minister said during a book launch in Himachal Pradesh's Kasauli on Saturday. Chidambaram made the remarks during a conversation with journalist and author Harinder Baweja on her book 'They Will Shoot You Madam: My Life Through Conflict' at the Khushwant Singh Literary Festival. Operation Blue Star was a military operation held between June 1-10, 1984, to remove Damdami Taksal leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his militants from the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the

Updated On: 12 Oct 2025 | 2:32 PM IST

Punjab BJP deletes tribute post for those killed during Operation Bluestar

The Punjab BJP has deleted a social media post in which it paid tributes to "martyrs" of Operation Blue Star, the Army operation which was carried out in June 1984 to flush out armed militants from the Golden Temple. The post on X was shared on Sunday but it was taken down later without assigning any reason for the same. In the post, the Punjab BJP had condemned the then Congress government for "attacking the Golden Temple" and expressed solidarity with the families of those who lost their lives. The post, which has now been deleted, read, "June 1, 1984'?' 'Saka Neela Tara'. A humble tribute to all the martyrs of the day one of the attack on the Darbar Sahib by the Congress government." The BJP had also shared pictures of the damage suffered by the Akal Takht, which is the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, and an armoured vehicle with deflated tyres. The post, which was shared on Facebook as well, was deleted a few hours later. Meanwhile, officiating Jathedar of Akal Takht, Giani K

Updated On: 02 Jun 2025 | 1:09 PM IST

39 years of Operation Bluestar: What happened in Punjab and the aftermath

Operation Blue Star was a military operation in which the Golden Temple was stormed by security forces to take on separatist militants

Updated On: 08 Jun 2023 | 1:29 PM IST

Security tightened ahead of Operation Bluestar anniversary in Punjab

Security was beefed up across Punjab on Thursday with the state police carrying out flag marches and deploying adequate number of security personnel at crucial places ahead of Operation Bluestar anniversary on June 6. The army had carried out Operation Blue Star in June 1984 to flush out hiding militants from Golden Temple in Amritsar. The Punjab Police on Thursday carried out flag marches in sensitive and vulnerable areas as a measure to instill confidence among the general public. As many as 110 flag marches were conducted covering 192 vulnerable areas across the state, an official statement said. The exercise was conducted on the directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav. Special DGP (law and order) Arpit Shukla said commissioners of police and senior superintendents of police were directed to conduct flag marches in their respective districts. Police also apprehended 368 suspicious people during these flag marches. He said the exercise was aimed to boost the

Updated On: 01 Jun 2023 | 10:58 PM IST

Indira let Bhindranwale become Frankenstein monster: Blue Star commander

Late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had allowed militant leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale to grow into a sort of Frankenstein monster and decided to finish him off when he reached the pinnacle

Updated On: 31 Jan 2023 | 10:36 AM IST

Lessons from Punjab: The perils of fanaticism

The book teaches us how a hegemonic state, unchecked religious fanaticism, political arrogance and incompetence, can create a perfect storm

Updated On: 06 Jul 2022 | 12:12 AM IST

Satyapal Malik's 'Governorspeak' a negotiating gambit with angry farmers?

Might Malik's statements have been primed by powers-that-be to resume negotiations? His advocacy of farmers' demands may be a credibility-building exercise to take a role in facilitating negotiations

Updated On: 22 Mar 2021 | 8:31 AM IST

UK judge orders Operation Blue Star related files to be made public

Judge Murray Shanks, who presided over a three-day hearing of the First Tier Tribunal (Information Rights) in London rejected the UK government's argument

Updated On: 12 Jun 2018 | 10:07 PM IST

UK cabinet office to rule on secret Operation Blue Star files

A three-day hearing of the First Tier Tribunal (Information Rights) will open in London on Tuesday

Updated On: 04 Mar 2018 | 4:02 PM IST

British Sikh group calls for probe into UK role in Operation Blue Star

British involvement in the Army operation against extremists inside Golden Temple first emerged in January 2014 with the release of documents under the UK's 30-year declassification rule

Updated On: 01 Nov 2017 | 1:55 PM IST

Labour party asks Theresa May to clarify Britain's role in Operation Blue Star

While Foreign Office said it had merely "borrowed" files, the Labour party said the fact the files exist raise questions

Updated On: 05 Nov 2016 | 11:57 AM IST