Indira Gandhi and Bhindranwale

[pps309]

Guys I was reading it on net, I found it ineteresting.
i heard from ten hundrerds of people that Indira gandhi was behind the uprising of Jarnail Singh, Bhindranwale. But I was always confused why she would have supported her. To know more, read this.

P.S-> I read it from Net, it seems to written by someone anti-congress. I still felt that there is some truth and logic in this editorial.

Indira gandhi: real CULPRIT behind khalistan


Yes not even bhindranwale; only congress were the culprit.

PUNJAB POLITICS

Sikhs had to struggle for ten long years (1956-1966) to get the Punjabi Suba. They quite rightly feel that what is granted to other Indians as a right, Sikhs have to fight for it. When their magnificent contribution in the 1965 Indo-Pak War could not be ignored, Punjabi Suba was at last formed in 1966. But even that was not done in a straight forward manner. Chandigarh, the capital, became a Union Territory. The head-works and hydroelectric power stations were taken over by the Central Government and some Punjabi speaking districts were excluded from Punjabi Suba. Once again Sikhs had to start the struggle. Behind to-day's tragedy lies the bitter story of the last thirty years. The mentality of New Delhi is thanda karake khana (Cool it and eat it). Let the problems drag on. Vasantrao Naik, former CONGRESS Chief Minister of Maharashtra once said openly, "How do I solve the problems? I just do nothing. The problem is bound to go away" i.e., people are bound to get fed up with agitation or get used to putting up with difficulties.


On three separate occasions when agreement with the Akalis was in sight, Mrs. Gandhi withdrew at the last moment. When the Akalis saw that prolonged peaceful struggle yielded no results, talks with Indira Gandhi lead to nowhere, government assurances were never fulfilled, a sense of frustration, helplessness and bitterness must have set in. The extremists were bound to take over and the moderates had to shift to extremism in order to maintain their position and remain as leaders.

Many well known persons like V M Tarkunde former Judge of Bombay High Court, have remarked - If Bhindranwale is arrested Longowal, Badal and Tohra can influence the moderate opinion and negotiations can be peacefully concluded. But this would strengthen the Akali Dal and that is precisely what Indira Gandhi would not allow. No matter what the consequences for India.

The politics of the Congress (I) was aimed at weakening the Akalis. Zail Singh was the Chief Minister of Punjab during 1972-77. Unlike the previous chief ministers, he came from Ramgaria (artisan) caste and not the majority Jat caste. In order to widen his power base and weaken the Akalis, he encouraged the activities of Bhindranwale and his ultra-orthodox intolerant followers. Akali-Janata coalition was in power during 1978-1980. In order to create a rift in the Akali Dal, a new faction called Dal Khalsa led by Bhindranwale was started with blessings of Zail Singh, Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi on April 13, 1978. In the year following, some policemen in Punjab went on strike and were dismissed. During the elections of 1980, Zail Singh promised to take them back if Congres (I) returned to power that promise was fulfilled. We can imagine what kind of police force Punjab had.

With his masters Zail Singh (then Union Home Minister) and Indira Gandhi firmly back in power, Bhindranwale openly attacked his opponents – the Nirankaris. Their leader Baba Gurubachan Singh and his aide were shot dead in Delhi on 25th April 1980. The killer, carpenter Ranjit Singh, escaped. All the 20 persons against whom warrants were issued, either belonged to the Jatha of Bhindranwale or were his relatives or associates and were hiding under his protection. Organised political murders were now appearing on the scene.

One year after this event, a well known journalist wrote - "Though the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has solved the murder case, it is almost certain that the killers will never be arrested because they are alleged to be in the protection of Bhindranwale. Besides, the State police is not prepared to involve itself in the case by arresting the culprits. Repeated pleas by the Governor of Delhi to the Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Darbara Singh and the letters written by the directors of CBI to the Punjab Government for help have been of no avail. The director of CBI wrote to State Government about ten days ago urging it to help the CBI by arresting the culprits and taking away their arms. But the State Government has not even acknowledged the letter. The present Lt Governor of Delhi, Mr.S.L. Khurana has again written to the Punjab Chief Minister pleading for the arrest of the suspects.


The CBI has almost completed the investigation and persons who are suspected in this case have been declared as proclaimed offenders. It was on the orders of Indira Gandhi that the murderers were not arrested or disarmed. " And exactly 3 years later, she had the audacity to say that she had no alternative to army action!!

Sometime in 1980, Government of India issued an order that recruitment into the armed forces would from now on be on the basis of the population of individual state. And thus as Sikhs are less than 2% of India's population, their percentage in the Armed Forces would drop sharply - from 15% to less than 2%. This is the height of absurdity. Gujaratis are 5% of India's population. Are we going to see Indian Army with 50,000 Gujarati soldiers? Different people have different attributes and these must be utilised for the country's good. Sikhs do not claim to be the only martial race but as long as they make excellent soldiers, they should be employed as such. It is only after this Government order that we hear about Khalistan.


In March/April 1981, on the day of Baishakhi, extremists of Dal Khalsa openly demanded Khalistan. G.S. Dhillon and J.S. Chauhan were present. Imam of Delhi Jama Masjid gave his blessings. (Why was he never arrested?). Indira Gandhi had sought the blessings of the same Imam for her 1980 election campaign and yet she had the audacity to say that there was really no alternative to army action in Amritsar!!!

 

[pps309]

Three months after the demand for Khalistan was made by a few fanatics, Bhindranwale comfortably took shelter in the Golden Temple though Indira Gandhi and Zail Singh took no action against him or his men after the murder of Baba Gurubachan Singh in April, 1980. Arya Samaj had proved to be impotent. On 9th September, 1981, Lala Jagat Narayan was shot dead near Ludhiana. Nachhar Singh was caught. He confessed that one of his associates was Dalbir Singh, proclaimed offender in Baba Gurubachan Singh murder. The other associate was Swaran Singh, a relative of Bhindranwale.

We must remember that Lala Jagat Narayan was an Arya Samaji and still Secretary of Congress Party in Punjab and was one of those leaders, who in 1951, induced Punjabi Hindus to falsely declare that their mother- tongue was Hindi and not Punjabi, and created the problem of the last 30 years.

Lala Jagat Narayan had earlier opposed the naming of a road in Anandapur after Guru Govind Singh. He opposed the naming of Delhi-Amritsar Express as the Golden Temple Express and opposed the idea of granting holy city status to Amritsar.

It was the duty of Punjab Government to arrest Bhindranwale. But the Chief Minister Darbara Singh showed great reluctance and allowed Bhindranwale to dictate terms and when he gave himself up on 19th September 1981, 17 Akalis were killed in mob violence. Within days he was released on Indira Gandhi's orders, without any bail or bond.

Bhindranwale had now become a hero. By Indira Gandhi's blessings he was above law. He could literally get away with murder. He visited other provinces to collect funds for his cause and in Delhi even met Zail Singh and Buta Singh. On 29th Sept. 1981, Dal Khalsa members hijacked an Indian Airlines Boeing 757 to Lahore. But as long as they weakened the Akalis, Dal Khalsa had the blessings of Indira Gandhi and Zail Singh. And yet Indira Gandhi had the audacity to say that she had no option but to send in the Army in the Golden Temple!!!


In December 1981, the new chief of Nirankaris, Baba Hardev wanted to make a deal with the Akalis. Nirankaris would delete the offending passages in their holy books in exchange for peace. But Chief Minister Darbara Singh stepped in and wrecked the deal. Congress (I) were not interested in tranquillity and sanity in Punjab.

On 26th April, 1982, severed heads of some cows were thrown in front of two Hindu temples in Amritsar, an act which was denounced by all Sikh organisations. Dal Khalsa claimed the responsibility and were completely isolated. At that time Punjab Government could have acted firmly against Dal Khalsa. But how could they allow any easing of pressure on the Akalis? It was later discovered that the cows were already dead and not slaughtered. And that act was carried out by some agents in the dark. But in retaliation Hindus threw biddis and brickbats at the Golden Temple in broad daylight. Why did the police not prevent this incidence?


Six months later, Congress (I) started raising a force of Punjabi speaking non-Sikhs to malign the Akalis. The men would undergo a crash programme of learning Gurubani and Gurumukhi, growing beard and long hair so as to make them indistinguishable from the Sikhs. After training, these men were sent to Punjab to infiltrate into Gurudwaras, Akali ranks and the Sikh organisations and encourage extremism. They were to incite hatred and create communal tensions, write threatening letters, carry out acts of bank robberies, sabotage, desecrating religious places, invoke strong police retaliation during demonstrations, arson and looting - all dressed up as Sikhs. Congress (I) being in power, they had immunity from prosecution and Sikhs would get the blame. (Times of India, 26 February, 1984; P.T. I - press release from Amritsar of 23 Dec.1983; U.N. I- press release of 26 Feb 1984 throw some light on this subject.)

During the Asiad Games of December 1982, a scare was created by such agent-provocateurs and it was exploited by Congress (I) Government of Haryana. Every Sikh living in Delhi or proceeding to Delhi was humiliated for which there was no need. Most Sikhs would have understood the need for security and agreed to searches and restrictions. But the attitude of Haryana Police was extremely high-handed. Even women and children, old and sick were not spared. Every Sikh was treated, like a suspected terrorist. Some Sikhs had come from America and Canada to show their grandchildren the land of their forefathers. They were sent straight from Delhi Airport to jail. This caused much resentment and bitterness, helped the extremists and hot-heads and made it impossible for the moderates to argue. In fact, every action of Indira Gandhi and her party was calculated to encourage the extremists. What Jagjit Singh Chauhan, Ganga Singh Dhillon and Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale failed to do was achieved by the Haryana Police.

On 25th April 1983, Avtar Singh Atwal, Deputy. Inspector General of Punjab Police was shot dead as he emerged from the Golden Temple at 11.00 a.m. The murder shocked the nation. It was condemned by everybody. The general feeling was running high against the extremists and it was the best time to flush them out. But Indira Gandhi & Co did nothing

 

[pps309]

As early as January 1983, one Bandu Thanekar writing for Manoos weekly of Pune noted - "In Amritsar there are policemen everywhere : State Police, State Reserve Police, Border Security Force Police and Central Reserve Police.” How could a D.I.G. of State Police get killed in front of the Golden Temple in broad day-light? Atwal had been summoned for a secret meeting in Amritsar by two senior officials - Brigadier Tejinder Singh Grewal and J.S.Chalal, an IPS officer, who knew Bhindranwale well. After a number of secret discussions, Atwal, a devout Sikh left for Golden Temple. To hush up the matter, Punjab Government awarded Rs. 3 lakhs to Mrs. Atwal. It is true that on 29th April 1983, Mr. P.C.Sethi, Union Home Minister, gave an ultimatum of one week to the Golden Temple management committee to surrender the men wanted for various offences, who were then hiding in the Golden Temple. But nothing came of his threat. Why???????????


On 25th June 1983, a bomb damaged the office of Congress (I) in Chandigarh. This may have been the work of their own agents. By October, Indira Gandhi changed her tactics. The State Government was dismissed and President's rule was imposed on Punjab. But it brought no change in the situation as the change over was a mere white-wash. Just three weeks later, Sealdah Express from Calcutta was derailed near Ambala killing 17 people and injuring 133. Sikhs were blamed. In October 1983, and February 1984, some innocent Hindus were gunned down. These senseless killings brought equally senseless reaction by Hindus of Haryana. Between 14th and 21st February 1984, on the Grand Trunk Road from Delhi to Ambala, Sikhs were removed from buses and beaten up. Their Keshas were clipped and their turbans burnt. Even women and children were not spared. In Haryana, Sikhs were beaten to death, dragged out of Gurudwaras and lynched. Only on the last day, Haryana Government gave 'shoot at sight' order. It is surprising that on 14th February curfew had already been declared in six major cities of Punjab and 'shoot at sight' order issued to police. Why did the Haryana Government watch the carnage for seven days?

In March 1984, Longowal and Akalis claimed that men masquerading as Sikhs, were carrying out terrorist acts and Sikhs were getting the blame. During March and April 1984, five students of the famous Dnyan- Prabodhini Institute of Pune visited Punjab. Writing in Manoos weekly they say, ". Central Reserve Police Force men surrounded the Golden Temple. Police with helmets and masks are covering every inch of Amritsar, but no Sikh police.

And where police were not seen, we saw Nihangs. Houses around the Golden Temple have police with mounted machine guns." But still there was no end to murders. On March 28, Harbans Singh Machanda was shot dead. He was president of the Delhi Gurudwara management committee, and had called for the expulsion of Bhindranwale from the Golden Temple. The next day Dr. V.N. Tiwari was shot dead. He was a learned man and was tipped to be the next Vice Chancellor of the Punjab University. He was among the few top ranking Hindus in Punjab who openly declared Punjabi as their mother tongue and asked other Hindus to do the same. He made a survey of the residents of Chandigarh and came to the conclusion that 95% of them spoke Punjabi in their homes and bazars but when it came to census, said that their mother tongue was Hindi. For his academic merit, he was given saropa in the Golden Temple. So why should Sikhs be interested in killing him? On the contrary, it is alleged that Punjab University has been dominated by the Arya Samajis for a century and they did not want Dr. Tiwari to be the Vice Chancellor of that University as he would not be their stooge. Moreover, he exposed their mischievous inducement to Punjabi Hindus to deny that Punjabi was their mother tongue.

On 2nd April 1984, some 40 minor railway stations in Punjab were blown up. On 9th May, Giani Pratap Singh, aged 85, former head priest of Akal Takt was shot dead in Amritsar. He was outspoken about the anti-social elements who had taken refuge in the Golden Temple. Three days later, Rameshchandra, son of Lala Jagat Narain, was killed in Jullunder. Thus, despite several acts and remedies, lawlessness was rampant in Punjab. We have Preventive Detention Act, Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA), Anti-Insurgency Act, National Security Act. In fact, we have more security acts than in many dictatorships. So why was the situation allowed to drag on for so long? The answer is simple. It suited Mrs. Gandhi's election chances. It created an impression that 'there is a serious crisis; situation is very grave; country is facing another partition; we need a strong-minded person. To whom we can turn to? Only Mrs Gandhi. So rally around her.' Even her staunch opponents forgot that the situation was created by herself and said, "Though we do not like her, do not approve of her policies, we are solidly behind her when it comes to Punjab problem. We would support her wholeheartedly, if she were to declare a state of emergency or even martial law." Mrs. Gandhi was very clever indeed in manipulating the situation to her own advantage.

Mrs. GANDHI'S FATAL ACTION

Between 30th May and 2nd June 1984, there was a massive build up of army in Punjab and what followed took place even without declaring a state of emergency in Punjab, let alone declaring the Martial Law. On 2nd June, Punjab was completely cut off from the rest of India. It was declared ‘a restricted area’ under the Foreigners' (Restricted Areas) Order, 1963, for two months arid was later extended to 2nd October 1984, and foreign news reporters were expelled. 3rd June was Guru Arjundev's martyrdom day and 4th June was Panchami. Hundreds of Sikhs gather for these few days in the Golden Temple and other Gurudwaras in Amritsar. On 3rd June, press restrictions were imposed under Section 2 of Punjab Special Powers (Press) Act of 1956, and extended up to end of September 1984. In the early hours of 5th June, Indian Army moved in, thus trapping thousands of innocent men, women and children. What followed is too gruesome to describe. One can get some idea of the horror from certain pertinent points :


(1).There were no newspaper reporters accompanying the Army. All the news was controlled by Government of India. We know too well how under such conditions fake evidences can be planted and how unpleasant evidences can be wiped out.


(2). Even the Government controlled TV did not show any Red Cross men attending the wounded. Were they present at all?


(3). We also did not see army personnel leading the pilgrims to safety.


(4).Indian Army did send in the tanks. But the terrorists had no tanks and we
understand that they had some Light Machine Guns (LMGs), 0.303 rifles, one rusty bazooka and some grenades.


(5).Government white paper says 493 civilians/ terrorists were killed. But how many were women and children? And, if the number was so small, why were they not identified? (Even now we do not know exactly who died.) Why were the bodies disposed off by pouring kerosene on them and setting ablaze instead of handing over to local people for proper cremation?

(6). On 14th June, 84 foreign reporters were allowed in Punjab. But they were forbidden to take photographs or ask questions to the briefing officers. What happened between 7th and 14th June 1984?

 

[pps309]

PLEASE DON"T PUT IT UNDER RELIGION OR RELATE IT TO ANY KHALISTANI STUFF.
IT IS PURELY A POLITICAL ARTICLE DEPICTING THE POLITICS OF THAT TIME.

 

[Bhaarat ki Mitti]

interessting post thnx veere.

but zara short version ch dass ki likheya

 

[TaRaN.rbk]

tfs
...............

 

[almightyvegeta]

Very Interesting article. I also think Indra Gandhi did not arrest Sant Bhindranwale earlier. She rather increased the problems, maybe she want to become the saviour of punjab by making drastic actions in the end.

"last part of your article is scrapped, please add it again"

 

[DJ BaLLi]

yaar ehna jaada padheya nu jaunda

summary haigi ehdi

 

[pps309]

yaar ehna jaada padheya nu jaunda

summary haigi ehdi

bai ji aa summary ta ehi aa ke sara syapa Indira ne Punjab ch Akali kamjor karan lai te congress majbut karan lai kita si. To do that she kept on playing and screwing te end ch Jarnail Singh nu terrorist bana ke marwa ta te apna hath palla jhard ke Mother India ban baith gayi

 

[DJ BaLLi]

bai ji aa summary ta ehi aa ke sara syapa Indira ne Punjab ch Akali kamjor karan lai te congress majbut karan lai kita si. To do that she kept on playing and screwing te end ch Jarnail Singh nu terrorist bana ke marwa ta te apna hath palla jhard ke Mother India ban baith gayi

ohk

thnx

 

[HoneY]

thkx for hsaring very gud post

 

[ssssingh]

bullshit

 

[Palang Tod]

nice.....tfs

 

[Rajat]

tfs...

 

[userid 56304]

2). Even the Government controlled TV did not show any Red Cross men attending the wounded. Were they present at all?

No red cross was not allowed to enter which shows the sick mentality of Indira Gandhi.

 

[sniper_009]

very informative post & thats the reality of India. Jhooth nu sach bana ke dikhandey ne, te sach nu jhooth. thanks vire.