Many years ago, I read a poem titled “Blue Star” on one of the personal blogs and somewhere in my subconscious mind that word stayed not fully understanding the meaning of it and what it entailed. I took some time to educate myself on why Blue Star, what was Blue Star. I believe universe have a way of bringing things to you that you seek answers for and this is exactly what happened to me. My questions in my mind let me to a documentary that provided explanation on operation Blue Star and I was not the same person after that.
On June 3rd 1984, Sikhs holiest place the Golden Temple located in the heart of Amritsar was attacked by the Indian army. Any holiest place weather it is a Gurdwara, mosque, church, temple is always dear and sacred to its worshippers. People take their shoes off, covers their head when entering a religious place. To tarnish the dignity of someone’s beautiful place of worship is tarnishing the soul of its worshippers and it doesn’t matter which community or faith they belong to. Under the name of Operation Blue Star led by Indian army, much worse happened to Sikh people. Indian army entered in the Golden Temple not only with their shoes but with weapons, guns, machinery, tanks and spared no soul who came in their path. A child was killed in front of a mother, a mother was humiliated and killed, men, elderly were shot in a blink of an eye. Why? Just on a mere suspicion that there is an armed Sikhs hiding inside the Golden Temple. The brutality didn’t stop over here.
A human being upon their death deserves a proper burial, a closure. The dead deserves respect. In operation Blue Star brutality and dehumanization of Sikhs dead bodies were at its peak. When I saw a documentary of Sikhs body getting tossed in a garbage truck right there my heart sank. Many of those victims were left there to die. What was the mistake of that person who had their head down on a clean floor of a Golden Temple praying? Or that child who was just eager to go the Langar (Community Kitchen) to get a plate full of their favorite food merely to find his mother dead and lying on the floor covered in blood, her shawl ripped, and eyes still open. No words can capture the pain of innocent Sikhs who lived through this time in history and till today are still waiting for justice.
Sikhs waited through many sets of investigations being carried out, the victim’s family still awaits to see justice given to them. Many inquiry commissions for November 1984 were formed and the investigation led back to the result that Sikhs were targeted intentionally using all the methods of systematic wiping off their existence. This brutality continued in much worse shape in after the Prime Minister of India at that time, Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh body guards.
In November of 1984 in mere three to four days Sikh blood spilled in all areas of the country. Countless Sikhs were slaughtered, burnt alive, women raped and killed, children killed, Sikh businesses were put on fire, houses were destroyed. Police closed their eyes while all this was happening, and that was the worse shape of humanity beyond words.
Over the years I have watched many interviews, documentaries and my mind can’t comprehend the pain a community have to go through all these years yet they are still reaching out and trying to help another human being regardless of their faith, and cultural background.
I stand in solidarity with #Sikhs
Written by Noor Reflection.
#Sikhs #June1984 #BattleofAmritsar #Genocide #EthnicCleansing #OperationBlueStar #Humanity
Please watch this short documentary on Youtube covering injustices of #1984 and explaining what is Operation #BlueStar.
https://youtu.be/eubRbFt0eA4
Some time ago I came across this heart wrenching interview of a Senior Journalist Rahul Bedi conducted by a @gurshamshir. I can’t express in words the pain I felt when listening to the details provided by Rahul Bedi and what he witnessed.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=3551019114961969&id=100001617464174&sfnsn=mo
Reflections in a teacup 