CHANDIGARH, Punjab— The kin of a Sikh who was killed during the 1984 Operation Blue Star Genocide feel neglected, as authorities in Punjab have not taken steps to rehabilitate them.
On Wednesday, even as Sikhs observed the 28th anniversary of Operation Blue Star, which involved the storming of the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Amanjot Kaur recalled that her father was thrashed brutally by policemen in front of his family.
“I was five-years-old at that time, and my brother was four. I had my grandparents. My father was beaten brutally and police entered our house in huge numbers. We were too small and were also beaten up brutally. We were innocent and were not at fault. My brother faced such a bad time that he became a heart patient, though he is doing well now. But fear still looms in my memories,” said Amanjot Kaur in Chandigarh.
Amanjot Kaur’s husband Sandeep Singh said ‘justice delayed is justice denied’ and people of the Sikh community would never forget the atrocities committed on them.
Another victim of Operation Blue Star, Ravinder Bir Kaur said she has lost all hope of getting justice.
“I have no hope for getting justice because even after 28 years, I have not received justice, so I have no hope to get justice in the future” said Ravinder Bir Kaur.
In the absence of any help from the government to heal their wounds, these victims are living in the Guru Asra Trust, a non-governmental organisation, which takes care of orphaned children of the martyred Sikhs. The charity educates them and arranges for their marriages.
The president of the trust, Kulbir Kaur Dhami, said she decided to set up a charitable trust to provide financial support for the better future of the children of the martyrs.
“At the time when I was illegally put behind bars, I saw that the families of these children were harassed after the attack on the Golden Temple and no one supported these children so that they could lead a normal life. After my return, I understood the sufferings of the victims; the government and SGPC (Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee) did not provide any help. However, the head of SGPC promised to provide help and later I started this trust,” said Dhami.
Dhami added these children still harbour innumerable grievances against the government and appealed the government to provide jobs to the children and widows of the martyrs.
“I appeal to the government that they should provide jobs to children to whom we have provided education. They should be given priority and we appeal the SGPC to provide jobs to the widows of the victims,” added Dhami.
