CHANDIGARH: A minor scuffle broke out at the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar today on the 34th anniversary of Operation Blue Star.
Three unidentified youth who attempted to create a ruckus at the temple complex were caught and thrashed by the volunteers of the task force of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee (SGPC) and were later detained by the police for further investigation.
However, the prayer ceremony passed off peacefully.
Amidst pro-Khalistan slogans a 'Khalistan’ Flag was hosted at the Akal Takht for about an hour and the Akal Takht Jathedar Gurbachan Singh (a high priest) Jathedar Gurbachan Singh reportedly not objecting to it.
Many hardliners holding portrait of Jagtar Singh Hawara (who had killed former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh) were present during the occasion when Gurbachan Singh started his speech and tried to stop him calling him their jathedar.
In his address Singh said, "It was part of their (radicals) programme to unfurl the flag and they were not intercepted as they were not creating any trouble. I am pleased to find that all the Sikh organisations maintained tranquility and did not vitiate the peaceful atmosphere of the Golden Temple complex.’’
The supporters of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) group attentively listened to the speech of Singh whose support was appreciated by Singh. In the past these supporters have tried to disrupt the speech of the jathedar. Singh also hinted that there was every possibility if all the disgruntled sikh groups could unite on one platform at Akal Takht and resolve their differences.
Meanwhile, shops and commercial establishments were closed in the morning and roads wore a deserted look in the holy city in view of a bandh call given by radical group Dal Khalsa. The call was to pay homage to those who laid down their lives during Operation Bluestar in 1984. Even the street vendors refrained from setting up their makeshift businesses. The situation is expected to get normal by afternoon, according to sources.
The “parallel” (self styled) acting Jathedar Dhyan Singh Mand and his supporters were not present to mark the occasion of operation blue star, despite issuing a statement earlier to deliver avcustomary address from the ground floor of the Akal Takht.
Mand had demanded that all the documents relating to operation blue star be made public as it has been done by the British Government after three decades. He said that it was important to know the forces and countries that were behind the attack on Golden Temple. He also appealed the Sikh community to unite and adopt “one village, one gurdwara” concept of the SGPC.
He had termed the attack on Golden Temple as callous attitude of the government and compared it with Mughal and British era atrocities on Sikh community.
Yesterday the SGPC had put portraits of Gyan Singh, an alleged assassin of the Nirankari sect head Gurbachan Singh in 1980, at the Central Sikh Museum in the Golden Temple complex.
Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh along with SGPC president Gobind Singh Longowal had unveiled the portraits in presence of Golden Temple head granthi Jagtar Singh. The family members were also honoured with ‘siropas’ (robes of honour) after kirtan and ardas were performed.