Operation Blue Star 32nd anniversary: Dal Khalsa calls for Amritsar shutdown today

mangaloretoday.com

Chandigarh June 06, 2016 : Security has been strengthened at various locations in Amritsar in the wake of 32nd Operation Blue Star Anniversary on Monday as Sikh hardliner group Dal Khalsa has called for Amritsar shutdown today.

 

Dal Khalsa spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh told media that the shutdown was called to protest against the sacrilege, the killing of innocent pilgrims, and loot of manuscripts from Sikh Reference Library.

However, according to Singh,  medical stores in the city would be allowed to remain open while he added that the bandh would be peaceful and road and rail traffic will not be disrupted.bandh would be peaceful and road and rail traffic will not be disrupted.

Security has been put up in place and elaborate security arrangements have been made in several other parts of Punjab in view of the 32nd anniversary of Operation Bluestar.

Nearly 8,000 police personnel, besides six companies of paramilitary forces, have been camping in Amritsar for a week now, deployed at 200-odd checkpoints. As many as 15 companies of paramilitary forces including ITBP, CRPF, RAF, besides police personnel in strength, have been deployed in Amritsar and other parts of the state.

On Saturday, Punjab Police detained several radical leaders of the Sikh body in raids at various places in the state as a preventive measure to maintain law and order in the city.

In Ludhiana, three Sikh hardliners, including Dal Khalsa leader Daljit Singh Bittu, were apprehended, police said. The raids at the houses of various hardliners were carried out in the wee hours, they said. However, some of the members of SAD (Amritsar) and Dal Khalsa managed to escape, police said.

Operation Blue Star, termed as a historic Indian military operation, was carried out between 3 June and 8 June 1984 for gaining control over the Golden Temple Complex in Amritsar. More than 1,000 people were killed in Operation Bluestar.

It was ordered by the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in order to remove the dreaded Sikh extremist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his armed followers.