Definition
Operational name given to the attack on Sri Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) by the Indian Armed Forces in June 1984.
The Attack on Sri Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple).
The Indian Army’s attack on Sri Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple), Amritsar, in June 1984 was codenamed Operation Blue Star. It had two components: Operation Metal, the attack on the Darbar Sahib complex, and Operation Shop, to raid places for Sikh dissenters across Punjab and arrest them. ([1], p. 406) The attack revealed a great deal about the Indian Armed Forces, the Government of India’s approach to internal dissension, Sikh politics, and the Sikhs’ perception of the State of India. The Sikhs call this attack “Ghallughara”, ([2], p. 52) meaning “holocaust” or massacre of thousands and attack on the honor of the entire community.
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Rai, J.S. (2017). Blue Star (Operation). In: Mandair, AP.S. (eds) Sikhism. Encyclopedia of Indian Religions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-0846-1_505
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