Operation Blue Star
The costliest operation in the Army's domestic record, and the most contested.
- Dates
- 1–8 June 1984
- Theatre
- Amritsar, Punjab
- Services
- Army
Summary
Operation Blue Star was a military operation by the Indian Armed Forces conducted between 1 and 10 June 1984, with the stated objective of removing Damdami Taksal leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and militants from the buildings of the Golden Temple, the holiest site of Sikhism, in Amritsar.
Objective
Remove armed militants from the Harmandir Sahib complex in Amritsar.
Outcome
The complex was cleared after heavy fighting in which the Akal Takht was seriously damaged. The operation led directly to the assassination of the Prime Minister that October and to the anti-Sikh massacres that followed, and it remains a wound in Indian public life rather than a settled matter of record.
Losses — contested
Official and independent counts of soldiers, militants and pilgrims killed differ sharply, and the number of civilians present when the operation began has never been agreed.
Equipment
What it was conducted with
1 catalogued platform recorded as taking part. Not exhaustive — it lists what this catalogue holds, not everything that was fielded.
