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ATTACK ON OUR FAITH
! SIKH
Above : Smoke rises in the Golden Tample
complex during the brutal Indian army attack on June 1984. On
this day the foundation for an Independent Sikh Homeland was
laid.
"OPERATION BLUESTAR" is the code name for
the June 1984 attack on Sri Harimandir Sahib, Amritsar, by the
Indian Armed Forces. This attack was conducted under the
pretext of "flushing out terrorists" but was designed to cause
maximum damage to the Temple Complex and the Sikhs inside. The
attack took place on the day of Guru Arjan Dev Patshah's
Shahadat Gurpurab observations. The operation was sanctioned
under the orders of Indira Gandhi (then prime minister) and
Zail Singh (then President). The Golden Temple Complex was
attacked by the Indian Armed Forces using tanks, helicopters,
and other heavy artillery. Sri Akal Takhat was desecrated
during this attack. Sri Darbar Sahib sustained at least 300
bullet holes. Thousands of innocent people were murdered in
cold blood.
Their fault? They were attending the
Martyrdom day of Guru Arjan Dev Ji. The brave GurSikh soldiers
in the Akal Takhat, numbering about 250, gave extremely tough
resistance to the Indian army. However, their resistance was
no match to the large number of tanks, helicopters, bombs, and
other heavy artillery that destroyed the Akal Takhat. The Sikh
Nation rose as a whole to protest against this ghastly attack.
Thousands of Sikhs were martyred in the holy precincts of
Darbar Sahib. Hundereds of Sikh Army personal left their posts
and marched straight to protect Darbar Sahib, many were killed
or imprisoned. However, Indira Ghandhi did receive retribution
for her black deeds on Oct. 31st, that same year.
History of Sikh Reference Library (Destroyed
on June 7, 84)
The destruction of the Sikh Reference
Library is a loss that can never be fulfilled. No wealth in
the world can ever restore what was destroyed during the
Operation Blue Star by the Hindu government.
The Sikh Reference Library was fine until
the evening of June 6, 1984. This has been verified by the in
charge of the Library S. Devender Singh Duggal. The library
was set ablaze on June 7, 84 in the early hours of the
morning.
S. Karam Singh Historian had sown the seed
of scientific reasearch in Sikhism. Later Bawa Budh Singh took
the initiative and established the Sikh Historical Society in
Lahore in 1930. It did not flourish after his death, but his
legacy lived on. On February 10, 1945 fans of Punjabi history
and literature gathered at Amritsar under the leadership of
Princess Bamba, daughter of Maharaja Dalip Singh and laid a
foundation stone of the Sikh History Society.
The main goal of this society was to present
the history of the Sikh Gurus in its true form. The Sikh
History Society decided to establish a Central Sikh Library on
January 12, 1946. After being acquired by SGPC it received
full fianancial support of the SGPC. On February 8, 1947 the
Sikh Reference Library was established. It housed some rare
source documents on Sikhism, the origin of Khalsa,
hand-written manuscripts, Hukamnamas, Leases, Certificates,
ancient pictures, etc.
The Sikh History Society published its
catalog of books according to which the library had 2335
Punjabi books and hand-written manuscripts. Several of them
were also in Assamese, Bengali, and Sindhi, etc. It also had
1047 English books.
According to a publication by Shamsher Singh
Ashok (Historian and research scholar of SGPC) called "Sada
Hath Likhat Sahit" (our hand-written literature) published in
1968, there were 383 volumes in this library which dealt with
980 different topics. In addition, there were many Hukamnamas
by the Sikh Gurus, 2500 hand-written copies of Guru Granth
Sahib, a Bir (of Guru Granth Sahib) of Bhai Hardas which bore
a handwritten Mul Mantar page by Guru Teg Bahadar Ji. There
were many illustrated Birs, Janamsakhis, and rare Sikh
scriptures. Among many other it had "Kavendar Parkash by sant
Nihal Singh; Ajit Sagar by Surjan Singh, Bhagat Sudhasar by
Bhai Bidhi Das, Bhagat Premakar by poet Jassa Singh,
Bansavalinama by Kesar Singh Chhibar and many more such
historical books. The library had about 20,000 such books in
June 1984 according to the Library officials. There were many
copies of Guru Granth Sahib which were extremely valuable.
There also was a manuscript which was prepared by Guru Gobind
Singh five years after the martyrdom of Guru Teh Bahadar Ji.
He himself added the Bani of the Ninth Guru in that manuscript
at Damdama Sahib. The date of this copy of Guru Granth Sahib
was 1739 Bikrami. In addition there was rare copy of Guru
Granth Sahib that was obtained with great difficulty by S.
Gian Singh, Chief Minsiter of Patiala from Damadama, Talwandi
Sabo. This version of Guru Granth Sahib did not have Ragmala
at the end.
All of this was reduced to ashes in
Operation Blue Star!!!!
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