Operation Bluestar anniversary: Akal Takht chief flays AAP govt. in Punjab over anti-sacrilege law

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Devotees stand in queues to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple on the occasion of the 42nd anniversary of Operation Blue Star, in Amritsar on Saturday. | Photo Credit: ANI

Pro-Khalistan slogans were raised inside the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar on Saturday (June 6, 2026) during the 42nd anniversary of Operation Bluestar, even as the city wore a largely deserted look, with most commercial establishments and educational institutions remaining closed in response to an ‘Amritsar shutdown’ call issued by Sikh hardline groups to observe the occasion.

Supporters of the Khalistan movement have been demanding a sovereign state for Sikhs for many years.

Activists of radical Sikh outfit Dal Khalsa, along with hardliners owing allegiance to Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) chief Simranjit Singh Mann, raised slogans in support of forming Khalistan during a congregation of Sikh devotees.

Several young men were seen dressed in outfits bearing photographs of slain separatist leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and distributing his posters, as they hailed his sacrifice and pledged to press on with their campaign for a separate Sikh homeland.

On June 6, 1984, the Army had stormed the complex of the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar, Sikhism’s holiest shrine, to flush out extremists led by Bhindranwale, who death anniversary also falls on this day.

Addressing the commemoration congregation, Kuldip Singh Gargajj, officiating Jathedar of the Akal Takht — the highest Sikh temporal seat — said Sikhs have established a unique identity around the world through service to humanity and adherence to the principle of welfare for all. However, he expressed concern that the Sikh identity and religious symbols were increasingly being targeted globally through” various pretexts under a deep-rooted conspiracy”.

He criticised what he described as attempts by governments to impose laws and exercise control over Sikh institutions. Referring to the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar, Amendment