https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

How Pakistan Engineered Punjab Militancy Led By Sant Jarnail Singh Bhinderawale?

An eyewitness account of Operation Bluestar in Amritsar’s Golden Temple in June 1984. Who did what and why? What led the situation to a head and what happened in subsequent years. The then District Collector of Amritsar, Mr Ramesh Inder Singh, a 1974-batch IAS officer, relives the turbulent days in a candid interaction with Indian Masterminds.
Indian Masterminds Stories

Was Operation Bluestar avoidable? Could Golden Temple be saved? Could thousands of innocent lives be protected? Who was responsible for the genocide in Punjab? Could Indira Gandhi’s assassination be prevented? What was common between the seize of Saudi Arab’s Mecca Masjid and the Golden Temple? These are the questions that possibly altered the course of India’s history.

The then District Collector of Amritsar, Mr. Ramesh Inder Singh, a 1974-batch IAS officer, in a video interview with Indian Masterminds, deep dives into the history to answer all these perturbing queries.

Please watch the first part of a detailed interview with him by clicking here…

The year 1984 will be marked in India’s history in red ink. A lot of blood was shed in India that year. Over 2000 persons were killed in Operation Blue Star, launched by the Indian Army to flush out armed militants holed up in Amritsar’s Golden Temple—the most revered seat of the Sikh religion. For the first time the army wasn’t firing at the enemy, say the Chinese or Pakistanis, but at our own men – Indians. Sikh soldiers commanded by Sikh generals fired at Sikh militants, who too had been trained by a former Sikh general.

The instructions were not to damage the Golden Temple building. But, when militants trained by the champion of the Bangladesh war, Major General Shahbeg Singh, made life miserable for the army and commandos started falling like nine pins, the army used tanks to fire at Akal Takht, another holiest place, where Guru Granth Sahib is kept for the night.

A ‘skirmish’ that was supposed to have been a whirlwind operation of barely a few minutes turned into a full-fledged war that lasted more than two days. The ‘sacrilege’ prompted revolt in Sikh army units. Some of them drove in armored carriers with weapons towards Amritsar to avenge the ‘insult’.

That was somehow contained, but the community’s anger took the life of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi barely four months later. The fallout was one of the worst ethnic riots where Sikhs were targeted and killed in various parts of the country.

What was the genesis of the problem? What went wrong? Why were militants led by Sant Jarnail Singh Bhinderawala allowed to stockpile the deadliest of weapons inside the Golden Temple? Why did the Army launch Operation Blue Star almost on Guru Parab (Martyr Day of Guru Arjan Dev) when thousands of devotees were inside the Golden Temple? Why were devotees not allowed to escape/come out before army action began?

Was the Army aware of the Golden Temple’s topography and militants’ hideouts? What was the civilian government’s role during Operation Blue Star and its aftermath?

There is nobody who can answer these questions better than Mr. Ramesh Inder Singh, an IAS officer of the 1974 batch, who at the time of Operation Blue Star was posted in Amritsar as District Collector. He saw everything with his own eyes. He heard every bullet shot from his own ears. He was privy to all decisions—military or civilian—taken at that time.

He has penned a book, Punjab in Turmoil: Before and After Operation Blue Star, an Inside Story, on the subject. It has every detail one would want to know. Besides, he is also one of the 12 IAS/IFS officers of the 1974 batch who, as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations of their batch, have recounted their memoirs in another book – Rear View: Tales of Administration and Diplomacy


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
ACC_Appointments Committee of Cabinet
ACC Approves Major Reshuffle: 15 Bureaucrats, Including 12 IAS, Promoted to Additional Secy; Sudeep Jain Named NCW Member Secy
IAS Aunjaneya Kumar Singh IAS Anjaneya Singh
IAS Aunjaneya Singh Stays in UP, Centre Approves One-Year Extension After 48-Hour Exit
Chhattisgarh CM Investment Japan visit (3)
Chhattisgarh Woos Japanese Investors in Osaka, Signs $11.45 Million MoU with Sartaj Foods
MP Power Sector Recruitment 2025
MP CM Mohan Yadav to Distribute Appointment Letters to 1,060 Power Sector Recruits in Bhopal on August 26
UPSC Easy paper
UPSC Mains Essay Topics 2025: A Test of Thought Leadership, Not Just Writing Skills
Mumbai Chalta Hai MGL Par
MGL Launches Brand Campaign ‘Mumbai Chalta Hai, MGL Par’ to Celebrate Its Vital Role in City’s Pulse
Sonali Mishra motivates
UP Cadre IPS Sonali Mishra Inspires NCC Cadets in Bareilly, Emphasizes Power of the Uniform
NHPC Resized
NHPC’s Solar Expansion: 300 MW Bikaner Project Full Commissioning Now Due in September
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-25 at 13.56
Operation Hunt: IPS Dr. Karanraj Vaghela’s Mission to Nab Valsad’s Most Wanted
Dr
Resisted Flawed Schemes, Transferred Thrice In Three Months, Found Solace In Writing
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-11 at 4.48
IAS SVR Srinivas on Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, Tough Calls, and the Real Power of IAS Officers | Video Interview
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
IAS Minnu P M
“Lazy, Sleepy, Yet Determined”: Minnu P M’s Honest Take on Cracking UPSC
Minnu PM, once a clerk in Kerala Police, cleared UPSC with AIR 150 after five years of struggle. Her...
IPS Ashish Tiwari
From IIT and Investment Banking to Public Service, Meet IPS Ashish Tiwari 
Ashish Tiwari, IIT graduate and former investment banker, chose public service over global finance. As...
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-12 at 7.27
First Attempt IRS, Fourth Attempt IPS: The Relentless Pursuit of Jitendra Kumar Yadav Who Cracked UPSC 3 Times
IPS Yadav is originally from Chhattisgarh. He was first selected for the IRS through UPSC and later for...
Social Media
Masahiro Hara
From Go Board to Global Use, How QR Codes Changed the World: IRAS Officer Ananth Rupanagudi Spotlights Masahiro Hara’s Vision
IRAS officer Ananth Rupanagudi shared a video on Masahiro Hara, the inventor of QR codes, highlighting...
IFS Susanta Nanda Video
A Mother’s Duty: Tigress Watches Over Cubs Splashing in Waterhole — Heartwarming Video Shared By Retd. IFS Officer Susanta Nanda
A tender wildlife video shared by Retd. IFS officer Susanta Nanda shows a tigress keeping watch over...
Mohanmala
Kaziranga Mourns: Beloved Elephant Mohanmala Passes Away After Five Decades of Service
Kaziranga National Park mourns the loss of Mohanmala, a beloved elephant who served over 50 years as...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
ACC_Appointments Committee of Cabinet
ACC Approves Major Reshuffle: 15 Bureaucrats, Including 12 IAS, Promoted to Additional Secy; Sudeep Jain Named NCW Member Secy
IAS Aunjaneya Kumar Singh IAS Anjaneya Singh
IAS Aunjaneya Singh Stays in UP, Centre Approves One-Year Extension After 48-Hour Exit
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-25 at 13.56
Dr
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-11 at 4.48
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT