Author: K P S Gill
Narrator: Khushwant Singh/Tavleen Singh/Shekhar Gupta et al
Publisher: Roli Books
Year: 2004
Language: English
Pages: 219
ISBN/UPC (if available): 8174363319
Description
6th June, 1984: The Indian Army storms the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Called Operation Bluestar, the historic and unprecedented event ended the growing spectre of terrorism perpetrated by the extremist Sikh leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his followers once and for all. But it left in its wake unsolved political questions that continued to threaten Punjab's stability for years to come.
How, in a brief span of three years, did India's dynamic frontier State become a national problem? Who was to blame: the Central Government for allowing the crisis to drift despite warnings, or the long-drawn-out Akali agitation, or the notorious gang of militants who transformed a holy shrine into a sanctuary for terrorists?
First published two months after Operation Bluestar, The Punjab Story pieces together the complex Punjab jigsaw through the eyes of some of India's most eminent public figures and journalists. Writing with the passion and conviction of those who were involved with the drama, they present a wide-ranging perspective on the past, present and future of the Punjab tangle, the truth of many of their conclusions having been borne out by time.
Contents
PUBLISHER'S NOTE
FOREWORD
Genesis of the Hindu-Sikh Divide
KHUSHWANT SINGH
Akali Dal: The Enemy Within
AMARJIT KAUR
Terrorist in the Temple
TAVLEEN SINGH
Blood, Sweat and Tears
SHEKHAR GUPTA
Operation Bluestar: An Eyewitness Account
SUBHASH KIRPEKAR
Assault on the Golden Temple Complex
Lt Gen Jagjit Singh Aurora
Myth and Reality
M V KAMATH
The Great Divide
SUNIL SETHI
White Paper on the Punjab Agitation: A Summary
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
About the Contributors