Operation Blue Star: 41 Years On — Echoes of Faith, Politics, and Protest in Amritsar

📍 Location: Amritsar, Punjab
🗓️ Date: June 6, 2025
✍️ Reported By: News Nation Online Bureau

🔹 Introduction

June 2025 marks the 41st anniversary of Operation Blue Star, one of India’s most controversial and emotional military operations. Every year, the Sikh community commemorates this day as Ghallughara Diwas. This year’s events in Amritsar were marked by internal discord, political reactions, and radical symbolism.

🔹 Background: What was Operation Blue Star?

In June 1984, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi authorized a military assault on the Golden Temple complex to eliminate armed militants led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. The operation left deep religious and political scars. Indira Gandhi’s assassination by her Sikh bodyguards triggered deadly anti-Sikh riots.

🔹 Latest Developments — June 6, 2025

1️⃣ No Address from Akal Takht Jathedar

For the first time in 41 years, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaaj did not deliver the traditional speech on this anniversary. His silence, reportedly due to pressure from Sikh hardline groups, highlighted internal tensions.

2️⃣ SGPC Chief Takes Lead

SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami conducted the ceremony and honored martyr families, filling the leadership void during the Akal Takht’s silence.

3️⃣ Pro-Khalistan Slogans and Flags

Supporters of Dal Khalsa raised slogans of “Khalistan Zindabad” and displayed Bhindranwale’s portraits and Khalistan flags within the temple complex.

4️⃣ Partial Shutdown in Amritsar

A bandh call by Dal Khalsa led to partial closure of shops. Guru Nanak Dev University also postponed all scheduled exams for the day.

5️⃣ BJP’s Controversial Tribute

In a surprising move, BJP’s Punjab unit referred to those killed in the 1984 operation as “martyrs” in a social media tribute. The post was later deleted, triggering political debate.

6️⃣ UK Sikhs vs Labour Party

The Sikh community in the UK warned of a boycott of the Labour Party for delaying an inquiry into Britain’s role in Operation Blue Star.

🔹 Analysis

This year’s observance may have remained peaceful, but internal divisions and external expressions of dissent continue to show how the operation remains an open wound within the Sikh psyche and Indian politics.

🔹 Conclusion

41 years after Operation Blue Star, the event still fuels political controversy, religious tensions, and generational activism. Its legacy is not just history — it’s an ongoing dialogue between justice, memory, and identity.

📌 Special Report | 🖊️ News Nation Online Team
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