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Sikhs demand probe into British SAS-Operation Bluestar link

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Bluestar-linkOutraged Sikh organisations and leaders on Tuesday demanded a thorough probe into reports that the British government colluded with former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi over Operation Blue Star, when Indian security forces entered the holy Sikh shrine, the Golden Temple in 1984, to flush out militants.

A lawmaker from Britain’s Labour party claimed that he has seen documents that suggest then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s administration dispatched Britain’s Special Air Service (SAS) officials to help Indira Gandhi in the storming of the Golden Temple.

The ‘Stop Deportations’ website quotes from the documents which were made public by the National Archives in London under the 30-year rule as part of a series over the New Year.

Operation Blue Star was an Indian military operation which was ordered by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in order to remove Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his armed followers from the Golden Temple in Amritsar city.

President of the leading Sikh religious organisation, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), Avtar Singh slammed the Indian government for taking help from British government in attacking its own people.

“Their governments also run by taking religion as a base and if they have done so, if they have helped our government in attacking our people, then they have committed the biggest crime,” said Singh.

The military raid led to a chaos amongst Sikhs across the world and the increased tension following the action led to assaults on members of the Sikh community within India.

The operation also led to a deep resentment among the Sikhs over an armed attack on their most revered Shrine and also widened a growing chasm between the members of Hindu and Sikh communities.

Indian lawmaker and Sikh rights activist Tarlochan Singh called for an urgent inquiry into the British government’s involvement in the events of 1984.

“Now this time British intervening in attack at Golden Temple, this is a slur on our autonomy and I request that there should be a thorough probe by India and everybody should know that what happened at what time, and how the Golden Temple attack, was it a vote bank policy, was it something, other sinister move? So, I demand full enquiry at all levels,” he said.

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