Forgotten Wars; Operation Blue Star - Essay Example

Large scale protests by the Sikh community all over the world followed. On 31st October 1984, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India was assassinated by her own Sikh bodyguards. Frenzied mobs attacked the Sikh Community in Delhi and some other northern states and more than 8000 Sikhs lost their lives. The operation blue star and the Sikh massacre following Mrs. Indira Gandhi’s assassination have left indelible scars on the psych of the Sikh community. Though the incidents are fresh in the Sikh minds they are totally forgotten by the authorities who are responsible for punishing the culprits and upholding justice.

The Sikhs are left to wonder whether are part of India at all. Altogether, the event ‘Operation Blue Star’ has been overlooked or under-studied within war studies. It is relevant to trace the historical background of the Sikh race, their struggles and the events leading up to their current plight. History has not been kind to the Sikh community. They always had to fight for their survival. In 17th and 18th centuries they had to fight many wars, mostly with the Moghul army. According a website data, more than 20,000 Sikhs were massacred by Afghan invader, Ahmed Shah’s soldiers on 5th of February 1762.

Sikhs call this incident ‘Wadda Ghalughara’, which means ‘the great holocaust’ (All About Sikhs). Their ten Gurus guided them and led them in theses wars. The Sikhs have always been enthralled by the sacrifice, courage valour and dignity of their Gurus. During the years 1845 to 1846, the British troops defeated the Sikh army and took control of the state. The British rightly judged that the Sikh were like wounded lions and would not take it lying low. So they adopted a strategy of pacification.

They allowed the Sikhs to practice their religion freely. They recruited Sikhs into the British army allowing them to retain all the