The Final Phase of The Mortal Battle & Its Immortal Effects: The Sikh Holocaust of 1984

4th to the 5th June1984
As already explained, I am not a warfare analyst, nor do I have extensive knowledge of weaponry. However, I am highlighting the aspect of morality versus immorality in this war against humanity, while also paying homage to the Sikh martyrs who laid down their lives, so that the Sikh faith, as created by the ten Gurus, prevails for the benefit of future generations and the greater good.
This wasn’t just a battle between evil and virtue, but an everlasting message for the whole humankind, not only the Sikhs, that one must never surrender to injustice.
I would say, ‘Life should be measured by its purpose, not the length of time.’
The whole Sikh community and their faith exist today because of the great martyrdom of the warriors who fought till death for us.
However, the tribute is incomplete without gratitude to the Akal Purakh (the timeless All-doer Lord). After all, death becomes martyrdom only when achieved for a justified moral purpose, and only then it is blessed by the Almighty.  
Between the 4th and the 5th of June 1984– The Indian army, BSF, and CRPF forces accelerated their offensive by firing rockets at the Akal Takht building (The symbolic structure of Miri- the temporal power). In addition, Vijayanta battle tank, cannons, machine guns, howitzers, etc., were unleashed to ensure there was no chance of survival for the Sikhs.
Simultaneously, hundreds of other Gurdwaras were attacked for maximum Sikh casualties, even though the false Government propaganda kept blasting that only the Golden Temple was under army control to free the Gurdwara of ‘militants’ hiding inside. I’ve already exposed this false narrative in the previous post.
On the other hand, to save civilian life was a priority for the Sikh activists, especially the safety of women and children. The request was sent to the authority to let them pass securely. Accordingly, only a few were allowed to walk out to exaggerate later that no civilian was harmed by the army.  
It was uncovered in time that there was a revolt brewing amongst the Sikh soldiers in the army, when they heard of direct firing aimed at the  Harminder Sahib itself. When a bullet pierced through the Sikh holy book ^{(called Guru Granth Sahib)} inside the Gurdwara, it was an assault on all the Sikhs.
The instigation was intensified to force the activists to return fire, so their positions are exposed and information about their ammunition is divulged.   Indira Gandhi and her henchmen Generals wanted to conclude the fight with either of the two results: the Head of Sant Bhinderawale or his surrender. But for the Sikhs, surrender by a soldier, especially Sant Ji, would mean surrender by the whole Sikh community forever. The time was not for immediate rewards, but sacrifice was necessary to make history for the generations to learn and be able to live with heads held high.  
The Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, who was born in a Brahmin family (Self-acclaimed ^{highest caste amongst Hindus),} was blinded with hatred, but she failed to recognise the extent of the Sikh resolve. This underestimation gave false hope to the regime that at any moment, Sikhs would come out with arms in the air if they continued the intimidation with weapons. This proved to be the major flaw in Indira Gandhi’s plan.
There was an announcement made in the morning by the authorities that if the civilians wanted to leave the premises of the Harminder Sahib, they would not be harmed. They were hoping for at least a few Singh fighters to join them. The volume on the speaker was deliberately kept low, so few people could even hear the announcement, especially those who were trapped on the far side. However, through word-of-mouth, information was passed on by those Singh fighters who were close to the entrance. Sant Bhindranwale also appealed to the Sikh activists that no one should feel under duress to stay and fight, and that whoever wished to leave could do so at any time. But no one did.
Many civilians left the premises, but not all were allowed to simply go home. The young Sikh men, including underage male children, were separated from their families and arrested on suspicion of being ‘terrorists’ ^{(The propaganda by the dictatorial regime has already been explained previously).}
No one knows if these men and children were beaten up, shot, killed, or taken for further torture in the Indian prisons. The history of the Indian Law and Order could mean any or all of these possibilities.
All media, including television and radio, were cut off, with the journalists already ordered to leave the state a couple of days ago. No transport was coming in or going out. Panjab was under total siege with curfew and daily blackouts.  
The fateful day of 6^th of June 1984
Many Singhs were either seriously injured or killed, but General Shabeg Singh had utilised the Sikh activist ‘brigade’ with limited arms in such an effective way that the enemy was still none the wiser as to how many activists were still alive and fighting, and how prepared they could be with weapons.
When the Indian soldiers had first entered the premises of the holy shrine,  there were high casualties with lower leg injuries, rendering many soldiers out of action. The Singhs still tried not to shoot fatally. But this was the limit of the great patience, which was about to be exhausted by further actions of the invading forces. Many Indian soldiers refused to enter following the counter-attack by the Singhs and feared being maimed. Some warring force, indeed!
So, the Indian Generals ordered attacks with long-range artillery from a distance.  
A handful of Singhs, under the command of one General, made the whole national force nervous! This was a victory for the Sikhs in itself, indeed.
Discipline is paramount for a soldier, and being a Sikh, it comes naturally to most. Every visit to Gurdwara reminds of discipline, coached in the form of routine of seva comprising of strict regulation of preparing langar ^{(community kitchen),} conducting cleanliness of the Gurdwaras, maintaining day to day security, etc. praying itself teaches focus, and the constant reminder to be always ‘ready for any eventuality’ through the symbolic five Ks of the initiated Sikhs. ^{( For description, please refer to the link: https://jasleenmanifestshome.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=4696&action=edit ).}
I am not sure if I should feel sorry for the intolerant leadership of India and all those who have been brainwashed into accepting hatred as nationalism. Rather than giving a well-earned due respect to the Sikhs and utilising their strengths to build a healthy nation, the divisive Indian government has always played every dirty trick to aggravate the community. Even imagining that evil could be attracted to virtue would tilt the Universe’s law of contrariety out of balance.
Indian forces might have attacked with all the machinery at their disposal. Still, they proved no match for the unflinching courage of the Singh activists under the incredible command of General Shabeg Singh and the great Saint-Soldier, Sant Bhindranwale ji.
The overzealous Indian Commanders had assured the prime Minister that it was a minor matter that would be concluded within half an hour with the arrest of Bhinderawale, humiliating the entire Sikh community! But a handful of Singh fighters still stood tall on day six against the full-scale invasion by the enemy nation. In my eyes, this was a victory already.
I must add that such marvels don’t just happen without the blessings of the Almighty. Also, this wasn’t the first time that Guru’s Singhs had fought against all the odds- Numerous examples of Sikh valour are registered in history, whether it was battling with the tyrannous Mughals, or treacherous Hindu Kings, or during World War 1 and 2, or indeed, at war with the murderous Indian regime. 
I’ll sum up my emotions in these words:
‘ If you aim to tear us, don’t flow like a breeze,
Bring it on, bring it on, we live by inhaling the thunder.’     
Midnight of the 5th of June 1984
According to a few surviving witnesses, General Shabeg Singh ji died of multiple bullet wounds in his chest and abdomen area between midnight of the 5^th of June and the early hours of the 6^th of June.
One particular witness who was at the scene ^{(Few survivals happened due to various political reasons but deserve a separate article, for another time)}, described that despite his serious injuries, General Shabeg Singh managed to stagger to where Bhindranwale ji was positioned, and in broken words said, ‘My services conclude here.’ He died in Sant Ji’s arms, who replied, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll follow you soon.’
Sant Bhindranwale had expressed his desire while conversing with one of his associates a few days before the attack that he wished to die fighting at the spot which was the centre between the two flag poles, representing the seat of Piri (spirituality) in Harminder Sahib on one side, and Miri (temporal power) in Akal Takht on the other side.
The Sikh flag is called ‘Nishan Sahib.’ (Sikh religious emblem shows a double-edged sword, representing Miri and Piri on a yellow flag. It is a triangular-shaped flag, unfurled in every Gurdwara) . Around 06:30 in the morning of the 6th of June 1984, Sant Ji fell like a true warrior between the two ‘Nishan Sahib’ poles, as he had wished. This was a befitting place for a Saint-Soldier to receive his martyrdom for upholding the spiritual and the temporal values in balance with morality. He followed, lived by, and died for the true Sikhi philosophy of ‘not hesitating to sacrifice one’s own head in the fight for justice.’
Every Singh who was positioned to fight held the fort till he/she fell fighting, like true martyrs.
The Indian Army declared their victory(???), and to show off their strength, they defiled the sanctity of the Gurdwara further-
Sikhs take their shoes off before entering the premises, but the Army wore their boots all the way inside.
Sikhs are prohibited from smoking, but some of the Hindu Army men were seen puffing away in the Gurdwara complex.
Sikhs cover their head out of respect in the Gurdwara premises, but no consideration was shown.
True to their nature, rogue army men set the Sikh library on fire after destroying the handwritten scriptures by the Gurus, and other valuable historical books, also looting many artefacts from the premises. The thieving also included the belongings of the worshippers.
It was exposed that Sant Bhindranwale or his followers were not the only target, as propagated, but the deplorable ‘Operation Blue Star’ was an attack on all the Sikhs and their faith. But the world was not interested in facts; the shroud of so-called diplomacy has covered many legalised crimes.
Despite the shameful victory parade, the question remains- ‘Did the divisive regime really win?’
The immortal declaration by Sant Bhindranwale ji has resounded in every true Sikh’s mind ever since- ‘The day Indian Army enters the premises of the Harminder Sahib, the foundation of the independent state of Khalistan (Independent homeland of Sikhs) will be laid.’
A few gruesome realities of invasion by the evil:
1. One baby who was seen clinging to the chest of his dead mother, shot by the Indian army, was picked up by an irritated soldier and thrown against the wall, killing him instantly.
2. A woman was shot at by the Indian soldier, but before the bullet hit her, it pierced through the fourteen-day-old baby’s body she was holding. Later, she was arrested and tortured, using her wound. She never came to know what happened to the body of her baby.
3. Many women worshippers were asked to lock themselves in a few rooms built for the pilgrims for safety. Later, these women were labelled as prostitutes by the shameless Indian army and regime, to defame Sant Bhindranwale and other Sikhs, and also to justify their inhuman operation.
4. An elderly Sikh gentleman who was also wounded asked for water in 45 degrees Celsius, but was urinated at by an army man.
5. Even after the official ending of the war, many Sikh pilgrims were killed by being shot at close range within the Gurdwara complex.
There are many such examples of brutality by the Indian forces, but the above pointers should, hopefully, have drawn the picture to tell how humanity died on one side, and how it rose from the ashes on the other side.
The aim of the majoritarian Hindu Tavi Government was to annihilate Sikhs as a community, but despite the might artillery and large forces, they failed in the mission. Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru of the Sikhs, had blessed the community by saying that even if one true Sikh was left alive in the world, the plant of Sikhism would restart to grow and flourish. Sikhism couldn’t be finished by the mighty Mughal armies or the World’s fiercest invaders like Ahmad Shah Abdali; they certainly can’t be defeated by a cowardly mindset.
Despite the bitter history with an extremist regime, Sikhs have never harboured hatred for the Hindu masses. In fact, the selfless service by the Sikhs has benefited the Hindu population more. For example, during COVID, people used to leave bodies of family members in the streets, due to a lack of funds, and the refusal by many funeral homes to accept infected bodies. Sikh volunteer services have been known to collect the dead bodies, mainly Hindus, and give them due last rites, without bias. However, there seems to be no evidence of a reciprocal support by Hindus when Sikhs have become victims of crimes unleashed by the ruling parties. But a lot of government-led propaganda exists to preach otherwise, obviously.
Anyway, following a mass scale of simultaneous military attacks on Sikh Gurdwaras, the Government had anticipated successful genocide and total assimilation of the remaining surviving Sikhs into Hinduism. Instead, Sikhism has flourished around the World in these forty-one years, and the extremist mindset of the intolerant Hindutva is beginning to be exposed, especially in cases of transnational repression in other countries. So, who is the real terrorist now?
Who Won?
When blood is spilt in the battle of two tyrannical sides aiming to snatch power from the other, there is never a real victory. But if one side is fighting for justice and to defend lives, then the righteous side is always the victor. Even in the sense of military strategy, One General alone was leading fewer than a hundred amateur soldiers with limited weapons, and despite all the odds gave a fierce fight back to the whole army of the country with unlimited manpower, weaponry, intelligence, and every damn machinery that was available. Sikhs held the fort for more than six days, without water, food, or electricity, in temperatures that ran above forty-five degrees. So, again, the Sikhs demonstrated their victory in the battle of resistance and resilience.
Yes, the casualty on the Sikh side was higher, but in proportion, the casualty on the Indian Army side was much higher in relative terms. Even the leading Lt. General of the Indian command wrote in his book that when the PM and the Army Generals heard that General Shabeg Singh was commanding the Sikhs, they were all nervous, and that many men of the forces had refused to enter the premises, as at the very threshhold, many were maimed. So, between scared soldiers on one side and raw bravery on the other side- the winner is obvious.
The Army fought with weaponry which could be fired from a distance. The army only dared to enter the internal corridor of the Gurdwara when both Sant Ji and General Shabeg Singh, along with many Sikh fighters, had already been martyred. No wonder an immortal example was set for the Sikhs for foreseeable generations. The Sikh voice today has reached out to the wider world because they never ceased to fight for the last forty-one years, and the inspiration for such a spirit came from the valour with which our martyrs fought. Hence, the Sikhs won the moral and righteous war.
I have already written at length about the befitting fate of Indira Gandhi and one of her leading Generals, who officiated the evil operation in 1984, in an earlier article. But Sikhs have never killed an innocent member of the public in their whole warrior history.
Victory is judged by the purpose achieved, and it can be concluded unequivocally that the Indian regime did not attain its abominable target, but the Sikh martyrs unfurled the Sikhi flag to hold high its glory.
Waheguru ji Ka Khalsa (Sikh is of the Guru’s making)
Waheguru ji Ki Fateh (The victory too is Guru’s).
  Please also refer to my article for relevant reference: ‘No Rest For The Soldier: Nurture The Ground For Poppy’s Radiance’ and ‘Vaisakhi- the day of liberation and resurrection: A Sikh’s perspective’
The link below is highly recommended for additional information with regard to current Sikh affairs: