Posters carrying images of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale were distributed at the Akal Takht Sahib in Amritsar on Saturday during events marking the 42nd anniversary of Operation Blue Star.
Bhindranwale was the chief of the Damdami Taksal, a radical Sikh organisation that later became associated with the militancy movement in Punjab. He and several of his armed supporters were killed during Operation Blue Star, which was launched by the Indian Army in June 1984 inside the Golden Temple complex.
People gathered at the Akal Takht Sahib also raised pro-Khalistan slogans while paying tribute to Bhindranwale on his death anniversary.
Punjab Police has stepped up security arrangements around the Golden Temple and other sensitive locations in Amritsar in view of the anniversary.
Assistant Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP) Vishaljit Singh said extensive security measures had been put in place for June 6. He said checkpoints had been established across the city, police personnel had been deployed in large numbers, and barricades had been installed on routes leading to the Golden Temple to prevent any untoward incident.
Earlier, Special Director General of Police (Law and Order) Praveen Kumar Sinha visited Amritsar to assess the security preparations. He said nearly 4,000 police personnel had been deployed to maintain peace and ensure the smooth conduct of the events.
Speaking to mediapersons, Sinha said the anniversary of Operation Blue Star was considered a sensitive occasion because several programmes and gatherings were held every year. He added that a comprehensive security grid had been put in place across Punjab, particularly in Amritsar and nearby areas, to maintain law and order.
Operation Blue Star was carried out on June 6, 1984, when the Indian Army entered the Golden Temple complex on the orders of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The operation was aimed at removing militants who had taken shelter inside the shrine amid demands for a separate Sikh state under the leadership of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Authorities had alleged that large quantities of weapons had been stockpiled within the complex.
The military operation drew widespread criticism and remains a deeply sensitive chapter in Punjab's history. Later that year, on October 31, 1984, Indira Gandhi was assassinated at her New Delhi residence by two of her Sikh bodyguards, Beant Singh and Satwant Singh.
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