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
up police vama wellness
UP Police Launches Landmark Health Drive: Over 9,500 Personnel & Families Attend VAMA Wellness Camp
IFS Parvathaneni Harish
Who Is Senior IFS Parvathaneni Harish? The Officer Slams Pakistan at UNSC, Recalls 1971 Genocide and Mass Rape of 400,000 Women
Punjab_govt_resized
Punjab: 2 IAS Officers Transferred in Late Evening Move, Jaspreet Singh Takes Over as MD of Punjab INFOTECH
UPPSC_UPPCS_resized
UPPSC PCS 2025 Prelims on October 12: 42 Exam Centres in Meerut, First-Time Room Inspector Training Introduced
ED _Enforcement_Directorate
ED Sends Fresh Notice to Nikant Jain, Close Aide of Suspended IAS Abhishek Prakash, Amid Ongoing Probe
CEC Gyanesh Kumar
Bihar Elections 2025: CEC Gyanesh Kumar Addresses 5 Key Issues - SIR, Fake Voting, Freebies & More
BSNL
BSNL Surpasses Airtel in Mobile Subscriber Growth After Nearly a Year; Jio Leads with 19 Lakh Additions in August
NTPC_Tapovan Donates_Ambulance_
NTPC Hands Over ₹30 Lakh Advanced Life Support Ambulance to Chamoli District Hospital to Boost Emergency Healthcare
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IDES Saquib Alam
UPSC Strategy & Mindset Tips from IDES Officer Saquib Alam | Video Interview 
Dr G K Goswami IPS
Everything you ever wanted to know about e-murder, e-dacoity and data safety
IFS Ravikant Meena UPSC IFS
Ravikant Meena on IFS Preparation, Optionals, and Life in Forest Service
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
IDES Saquib Alam
UPSC Strategy & Mindset Tips from IDES Officer Saquib Alam | Video Interview 
Discover how IDES officer Saquib Alam left his corporate job at Mahindra, overcame six UPSC attempts,...
Utkarsh Ujjwal IAS
IAS Utkarsh Ujjwal Shares Key Advice for UPSC Aspirants: Work Ethic, Failure, and Focus
Read the inspiring journey of IAS Utkarsh Ujjwal, 2023 batch, Gujarat cadre. From IIT Guwahati to clearing...
Sagar Datta Majumdar UPSC CSE 2024 AIR 317
“Don’t get trapped in the vicious cycle of self-doubt,” says UPSC Achiever Sagar Datta Majumdar
Discover how Sagar Datta Majumdar from Agartala, Tripura, cracked UPSC CSE 2024 with All India Rank 317....
Social Media
World Rhino Day India
On World Rhino Day, IFS Officer Parveen Kaswan Shares Rare Insights - India Now Hosts 80% of the World’s One-Horned Rhinos
September 22 Marks Global Call for Rhino Conservation; India Holds 80% of World’s Greater One-Horned...
Parag Madhukar Dhakate
Relentless Rains Wreak Havoc in Dehradun: IFS officer PM Dhakate Warns Citizens Amid Flash Floods
Cloudbursts in Dehradun triggered flash floods. IFS officer Dr. PM Dhakate warned citizens to stay indoors...
Forest Guard Tiger Encounter
Tigers Clash in the Wild as Forest Guards Capture Rare Footage , Retired IFS Mohan Pargaien Posts Viral Video
Retired IFS officer Mohan Pargaien shares viral video of three tigers brawling in Ramnagar, as forest...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
up police vama wellness
UP Police Launches Landmark Health Drive: Over 9,500 Personnel & Families Attend VAMA Wellness Camp
IFS Parvathaneni Harish
Who Is Senior IFS Parvathaneni Harish? The Officer Slams Pakistan at UNSC, Recalls 1971 Genocide and Mass Rape of 400,000 Women
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IDES Saquib Alam
Dr G K Goswami IPS
IFS Ravikant Meena UPSC IFS
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT