Nobody Knows Who Ordered Operation Bluestar | The Economic Times

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Who was behind Operation Bluestar?

Who ordered Operation Bluestar? The cabinet secretariat, home and defence ministeries say they have no record whether the military action at the Golden Temple complex in 1984 was decided orally or by a written word. 33 years on, Operation Bluestar remains a controversial topic. Scroll down to see few lesser known facts on one of the bloodiest attacks in Indian history.2/8

Operation Blue Star

On June 7, 1984, Indian Army gained effective control over Harmandir Sahib or Golden Temple complex with Operation Blue Star, after Khalistani militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale fell to bullets on June 6. Bhindranwale, who had taken residence in the temple, made it his headquarters in April 1983.3/8

The objective

Operation Blue Star had two components. The first was Operation Metal, which was confined to the Golden Temple complex. Operation Metal was followed by Operation Shop, wherein security forces raided Punjab's countryside in order to capture suspects. The second component was Operation Woodrose, launched throughout Punjab to quell militancy. In this file photo, Sikh devotees are seen standing atop Golden Temple (Har Mandir Saheb) in Amritsar (Punjab) after the Operation Blue Star (conducted from June 03 to 06, 1984) to wipe out terrorists sheltering there.4/8

Aftermath of Operation Bluestar

Several people were killed in retaliation to Operation Blue Star. PM Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her two Sikh bodyguards. General AS Vaidya, the 13th Army chief, who supervised the operation, was shot dead in Pune after his retirement. AI Flight 182, Kanishka, from Montreal to Delhi was bombed, killing all 329 on board. In this file photo, hundreds of militants re seen in Akal Takht at the Golden temple in Amritsar.5/8

GOC SK Sinha turns down proposal to attack

GOC SK Sinha, who was asked by then PM Indira Gandhi to plan the attack at the Golden Temple, had reservations over the proposal. He sought premature retirement in 1983 on being superseded by Lt Gen AS Vaidya for the post of Army chief.6/8

Man behind Operation Bluestar

Profile picture of General Arunkumar Shridhar Vaidya, who was the brain behind Operation Bluestar involving military attack against the militants of Khalistan movement.7/8

Relation with Operation Black Thunder

More often than not, the success or failure of Operation Blue Star is compared to Operation Black Thunder. The latter was the name given to two operations that took place in the late 1980s to flush out the remaining militants from the Golden Temple.8/8

UK admits to 'limited role' in the attack

In 2014, Foreign secretary William Hague announced that Britain did advise India on planning a deadly attack against Sikh separatists. "The nature of the UK's assistance was purely advisory, limited and provided to the Indian government at an early stage," Hague had said. Margaret Thatcher, then UK prime minister, had sent an officer from the elite SAS special air service to advise the Indians on the raid.Read more onOperation BluestarIndira GandhiMargaret ThatcherKhalistan movementOperation Bluestar anniversaryJarnail Singh Bhindrawale

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