CHANDIGARH: Pro-Khalistan slogan were raised and swords were brandished at the Golden Temple in Amritsar during the 35th anniversary of Operation Blue Star on Thursday.
During the anniversary ceremony, soon after Akal Takht Jathedar (highest temporal seat of Sikhs) Harpreet Singh gave his customary address from the podium of Akal Takht in the temple complex, the radicals staged an agitation which resulted in a heated altercation between pro-Khalistan supporters and the task force of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee (SGPC).
Several radicals wearing t-shirts with photo of slain militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale raised anti-India slogans and tried to break into the Akal Takht area.
This led to a scuffle between the radicals and the SGPC’s task force and the police present in mufti. The incident happened approximately 100 feet away from the sanctum sanctorum.
The pro-Khalistanis were also seen carrying placards with "struggle will continue till we get Independence" written on them.
Harpreet Singh criticized the incident which took place terming it a violation of the sanctity. Meanwhile, the city turned into a fortress on Thursday with over 3,000 police personnel deployed to maintain law and order.
Earlier in 2014, a major clash erupted on the blue star anniversary between the radicals and the task force of the SGPC in which several people were injured at the golden temple complex.