Pro-Khalistan slogans raised at Golden Temple on 38th anniversary of Operation Bluestar

A group of supporters of radical Sikh outfits and Shiromani Akali Dal on Monday raise a pro-Khalistan slogan at the  Golden Temple on the 38^th anniversary of operation blue star. The marbled premises of the Golden Temple near Akal Takht, the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs, echoed with pro-Khalistan slogans.

Many youths held banners and placards with 'Khalistan Zindabad' written on them. They wore t-shirts with the picture of slain separatist leader  Jarnail Sing  Bhindranwale printed on them.

Activists from the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), led by former MP Simranjit Singh Mann, who was also present at the scene, raised pro-Khalistan slogans. He brought up the murder of Punjabi artist Sidhu Moosewala and urged that the family receive justice.

In 1984, a military operation called Operation Bluestar was carried out to clear insurgents from the Golden Temple.

In Amritsar, elaborate security arrangements were put in place to ensure that the event went off without a hitch.

Jathedar of Akal Takht Gyani Harpreet Singh, in his message to the Sikh community on the occasion, said Sikh preachers and scholars need to visit the border areas to promote Sikhism and apprise the youth about the rich Sikh tenets and history.

He also talked about the need to fight the scourge of the drug menace which has afflicted many youths.

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the apex religious body of the Sikhs, displayed the bullet-ridden holy 'Saroop' (volume) of the Guru Granth Sahib.

In his message to the Sikh community on the occasion, Jathedar of Akal Takht Gyani Harpreet Singh stated that Sikh preachers and academics should visit border areas to promote Sikhism and educate the youth about the rich Sikh beliefs and history.

He also discussed the necessity to combat the scourge of the drug menace, which has devastated many young people.

The bullet-riddled holy 'Saroop' (volume) of the Guru Granth Sahib was revealed by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the Sikhs' supreme religious organisation.