Sikhs remember Operation Blue Star martyrs

LAHORE: The Dera Sahab Golden Temple, located just outside the Lahore Fort, saw a large gathering of Sikhs from all over Pakistan.
The Sikhs gathered to remember the atrocities Indian forces committed in 1984 when the Golden Temple in Amritsar was raided and a large number of Sikhs were massacred.
A three-minute silence was maintained to remember those that were killed during Indira Gandhi’s Operation Blue Star and the horrifying ‘Sikh-cleansing’ that took place. During the operation, the Sikhs’ sacred temple Akal Takht (Golden Temple) was targeted, while burning tyres were tied around the necks of Sikhs burning them alive.
These were only some of the terrifying incidents that took place, especially in New Delhi, until Indira Gandhi’s was killed. “It has been 26 years since the massacre took place,” says Sardar Kalyan Singh, president of SYO (Sikh Youth Organisation).
“At least 4500 of us were killed in the genocide, between the ages of 12 and 40, which basically means a whole generation was wiped out. Yet no one has taken this issue up as if it doesn’t make one bit of a difference.”
Around a hundred Sikhs including women and children participated in the memorial service.
They expressed their disappointment with India’s claim of being the biggest democracy in the world. “Is this what democracy is?” questioned one. “Not only Sikhs and Muslims but even Hindus belonging to the lower castes are suffering in India.”
The meeting was organized by the Sikhs Youth Organization (SYO) and Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Perbhandak Committee.
In the end, it was demanded that the Government of Pakistan should observe November 3 as Martyrs’ Day and should announce a holiday.