Sikh radical outfit Dal Khalsa on Tuesday announced to hold a remembrance march on June 5 in Amritsar to mark the 36th anniversary of Operation Bluestar.
“We are aware that COVID-19 cases are rising and the risk is alive. Taking precautionary measures and adhering to WHO and government guidelines, the attendance would be minimised and physical distancing norm would be strictly maintained,” Party spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh said adding that the decision was taken at a party meeting.
He further said that the Dal Khalsa has been holding the march on June 5 for the last 10 years and also has been giving a call for “Amritsar shutdown” on June 6.
However, he said, this year the final decision on the shutdown would be taken on June 1, after taking the lockdown guidelines, if any, into account.
Singh said several innocent pilgrims, SGPC employees, political activists and volunteers were killed during the attack and the aim of the march is to send the message that the Sikhs have not forgotten and forgiven the perpetrators.
The 1984 Operation Blue Star was the biggest internal security mission ever undertaken by the Indian Army. Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, ordered the military operation to remove Sikh militants who were accumulating weapons in the Harmandir Sahib Complex (Golden Temple).
Operation Blue Star was carried out between June 1 and June 8, 1984, in Amritsar.