‘Operation Blue Star’ Marked Peacefully at 'Akal Takht'; BJP Leader at 'Taksal' HQ

June

2026

Devotees and members of various Sikh organizations assembled peacefully at the Sri Akal Takht Sahib (Eternal throne, AT) on 6 Jun to commemorate the 42^nd anniversary of ‘Operation Blue Star’ (OBS)—the attack on Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) complex and more than a hundred Gurdwaras throughout Panjab by Indian Army in June 1984. As per tradition, AT Jathedar (leader) Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj addressed the congregation, in which he criticized attempts by governments to impose laws and exercise control over Sikh institutions. In 2025, Giani Gargajj had not addressed the congregation due to objections from certain Sikh organizations. Referring to the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar, Amendment Act, 2026, he said, 'No law related to Sikh religious affairs should be enacted without the consent of the Sikh Panth (Collective).' He also raised the issue of Bandi Singhs (Sikh prisoners) who had completed their terms but were still languishing in prisons and demanded their release. The apex Sikh management body, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) honored the family members of Sikhs killed during OBS along with Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. A number of youth attended the congregation. Their reasons for attending the program stem from a combination of inherited memory, historical curiosity, and a desire to understand a defining chapter of Sikh history. Parallely, Gurdwara Gurdarshan Parkash, Mehta Chowk, Amritsar district, which is the Damdami Taksal (Sikh seminary, DT) headquarters, also held an OBS commemoration. Sant Bhindranwale was DT’s head. Its current head, Baba Harnam Singh Dhumma, is close to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and even campaigned for it during the 2024 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections. At the DT program, a BJP minister from Maharashtra, Girish Mahajan, with links to the BJP’s parent organization, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, addressed the congregation and commiserated with the ‘martyrs’, called OBS a misdeed of the Indian National Congress (INC), but did not mention Sant Bhindranwale. BJP Panjab chief Kewal Singh Dhillon also blamed the INC for OBS. In 2025, the BJP paid tribute to the martyrs, but later deleted it. This is ironic because in the last four decades, the BJP has villainized Sant Bhindranwale and justified OBS. The change of heart seems to be guided by the upcoming Panjab elections in 2027, rather than an acknowledgment of the Indian state’s mistake or empathy for Sikhs (earlier coverage).