Operation Blue Star
Topic: Regional Aspirations: J&K, Punjab, the North-East and Accommodation · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 7 "Regional Aspirations"
Meaning
Operation Blue Star was an army operation in June 1984 to clear armed militants from the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The militants had turned the shrine into an armed fortress. The operation succeeded in clearing them, and their leader Bhindranwale was killed. But it damaged the holy shrine and deeply hurt Sikh feelings, which gave militancy new energy. It matters as an example of how force against a regional movement can make the problem worse.
Example
On 31 October 1984, two of Indira Gandhi's Sikh bodyguards assassinated her in revenge for Operation Blue Star. This set off the anti-Sikh riots of 1984, in which thousands of Sikhs were killed.
Don't confuse with
- Operation Black Thunder: the 1988 operation to clear the Golden Temple was led by the NSG (National Security Guard) without an army assault. Blue Star was an army operation in 1984.
Related concepts
- Khalistan movement
- Anti-Sikh riots of 1984
- Nanavati Commission
- Rajiv Gandhi-Longowal Accord
- Operation Black Thunder