Amritsar: Remembering the Martyrs

Editorial, Sikh Review, June 1995

“Amritsar ! There is no place like it anywhere”, says Guru Granth Sahib, “whoever bathes in the holy waters shall be cleansed of sin.” It is said of Guru Arjun Dev ji that on many occasions he would be missing from the Harimandir, only to be found greeting sadh-sangat - the holy congregation - at the entrance, ministering to their comfort and arranging their shoes - his countenance radiant with peace and humility.

Midsummer month of June reminds us of Guru Arjun’s martyrdom at Lahore in 1605 under the order of the Mughal zealot. His last words were : “Sweet is Thy Will, O Lord.” In recent times, June marks another anniversary, that of the inglorious militarist misadventure, grandiloquently named Operation Bluestar. The country has ever since 1984 paid a grievous price: a dead prime minister and an alienated people, burgeoning violence and mushrooming police formations, savage laws and criminalized politics, indeed a total eclipse of public morality.

Time is said to be a great healer. The years that have gone by seem to have blunted the edge of pain, even though it has not erased the memory of those who lost their lives. The Sikhs as a relatively young nation apparently have a keener sense of history than other religious groups. For them the assault on the Golden Temple in 1984 is, in a bizarre way, reminiscent of Ahmed Shah Abdali’s invasion of Amritsar in 1764. That year a small band of intrepid warriors, led by the legendary Baba Gurbaksh Singh, tenaciously defended the Harimandir. Their bravery has been forever etched in the Sikh psyche, thanks to - of all people - a Muslim historian, Qazi Nur Mohammad who recorded their bravery in his Jung Namah. The bunga built behind the Akal Takht, some two hundred years ago, commemorated Baba Gurbaksh Singh and his companions, until the Akal Takht itself was destroyed in 1984.

As in 1764, so also in 1984 the defenders of Harimandir had stood no chance. Their sacrifice assumes historic significance because never had so few pitched against such a mighty foe so heavily armoured. Hero-ism and courage have many forms and complexions. In 1984, heroism had a rare but heart-rending quality. Since no “Schindler’s List” has been compiled, the number and names of victims will always remain an intriguing riddle. But eyewitness accounts, including those recorded by Mark Tully and Satish Jacob (Amritsar : Mrs Gandhi’s Last Battle - Pan/Rupa & Company, 1985), reveal that hundreds of innocents were shot, their putrefying dead bodies carted away hurriedly in municipal garbage lorries for mass cremation by the reluctant sweepers after they had been mollified with free supply of rum. The murder of Sant Bhindranwale had doubtless been fore-ordained. Among other bullet-ridden bodies was that of the former Major General Shahbeg Singh, hero of the 1971 Bangladesh war, who had been dismissed by government on - allegedly - trumped-up charges a day before he was due to retire! The General’s son begged the Governor of Punjab to be allowed to attend his father’s cremation. His request was denied on the plea that “there were thousands of others who want to attend the funerals. If he was permitted others too would have be granted permission, which was not possible. Government would immerse the ashes in one of India’s sacred rivers.” No one thereafter heard of the funeral ceremonies for the dead.

Much water has since flown under the bridge. There is a strange unwillingness - and much deviousness - to face the problems that had driven the brave Sikhs of Punjab to the peaceful struggle called Dharam Yudh. The folly of Operation Bluestar is further compounded by the fact that those in power have neither the comprehension nor the political will to resolve the key issues. Perhaps it is not in the character of governments to own up mistakes although, in the modern era, heads of states are known to have tendered public apology for war crimes and genocidal repression. The Indian government however remains singularly unrepentant and remorseless. It even promoted the top brass and decorated the men with gallantry awards.

Be that as it may, it is not our purpose here to arraign or indict the perpetrators. Some day they shall stand before the Highest Tribunal. Our sole purpose in recalling the fateful 1984 is to remember the innocents, to commemorate the unsung heroes, and to pray for them.

A year ago we had noted that while the Indian state continues to dither over a just settlement in Punjab, the good news was that the Sikh dynamism has been re-kindled and their internal divisions were on the mend. The spurious image of the stereotype Sikh as violent and subversive fostered by the media during the decade of 1980’s has dissolved, yielding place to a growing self assurance and optimism.

We wish to celebrate the resurgence of this spirit of chardi kala. To mourn or to grieve over the dead is not part of Sikh moral tradition. Nevertheless, the spirit of sacrifice must be symbolised in a concrete memorial. In this century the people of Punjab have raised memorials to the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh and the patriotic Sardar Bhagat Singh. Elsewhere in the country, city square are dotted with busts and statues of those who fought against foreign domination. It is therefore befitting that a memorial be raised for those who died in 1984. This may be as simple as a marble cenotaph, archway or a just granite wall, suitably inscribed in gold letters, on the periphery of Akal Takht. A group of theologians, historians, architects and artists can best determine the concept, the design and the details. The memorial will radiate humility and compassion, even forgiveness. In a profoundly evocative way, it should renew hope, restore confidence and reassert the faiths in the illustrious Gurus. In the centuries to come, let its reflection in holy Sarovar testify to the power of a just God who is ever true and timeless, without fear and rancour.