Title: 1984 - Operation Blue Star

 

About: The military attacked a group of Sikhs who were protesting by occupying the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar. In revenge for the massacre that unfolded, the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated. 

 

During Indira Gandhi's time as Prime Minister, militant members of the Sikh population, led by the extremist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, began pushing for special status for their majority Sikh region of Punjab. The situation became volatile and many were killed in incidents across the Punjab region.

 

Bhindranwale was invited to take up residence inside the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar to evade arrest. Later, Bhindranwale made the sacred complex an armoury and headquarters of his Sikh militants. Gandhi ordered Operation Blue Star to flush out the militants and remove Bhindranwale.

 

The army surrounded the holy Sikh temple complex, and then stormed it. In the subsequent fighting, nearly 500 people were killed by the Indian army, including Bhindranwale. The army suffered over 300 casualties. The assault also caused widespread damage to the temple’s structures, which further angered the Sikh populace.

 

Calls for revenge became widespread, and just a few months later Gandhi was assassinated by her own Sikh bodyguards, sustaining over 30 gunshot wounds. Gandhi’s death was met with outrage, particularly by many Hindus. Anti-Sikh riots erupted in some areas for several days, killing more than 3,000 Sikhs in New Delhi and an estimated 8,000 across India.

​

​

Decade: 1980s

Year: 1984

Region: Asia

Country: India

Politics: Protest

Society: Race Relations
Society: Crime
Society: Religion

​

Type: Historical Event

Impact: 3

Artist: Yulia Kozlova 

​

_____________________________________________________________________

​

Group: Genesis

Number: 84/100

Price: 0.3 ETH

​

_____________________________________________________________________

​