During a recent book launch in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh, prominent Congress leader P. Chidambaram offered a candid assessment of Operation Blue Star, the controversial 1984 military action. He contended that the operation was not the correct approach to apprehend militants entrenched within the sacred Golden Temple, a decision he believes ultimately led to the tragic assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Chidambaram, a former Home Minister, emphasized that alternative methods existed for neutralizing and capturing the militants. He acknowledged that while Mrs. Gandhi ‘paid with her life’ for the error, the responsibility for the flawed strategy wasn’t hers alone, but rather a collective misjudgment involving the Army, intelligence agencies, police, and civil defense.
For context, Operation Blue Star was a significant military intervention carried out between June 1st and 10th, 1984. Its objective was to dislodge Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, leader of Damdami Taksal, and his armed followers who had fortified themselves within the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar, the holiest shrine in Sikhism.
Tragically, just months after the operation, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated later that same year, an event widely seen as a direct consequence of Operation Blue Star.