5th Invasion By The Indian Government 1955Following India's independence in 1947,the Sikhs were betrayed in many different ways, one of which was the denial of a Panjabi state. The Sikhs were forced to struggle and protest in order to establish the status of Panjabi as the language of the state.
Volunteers begain gathering at Siree Harmander Sahib to daily court voluntary arrest as part of the Panjabi Suba Morcha. The police under orders of the Congress Party cordoned off the complex, closed the Langar and arrested the head priests. Keertan was stopped at various places around the complex and the police established themselves in charge for 4 days.
During this time, the police invaded the parkarma and fired teargas bombs to disperse the devotees, some of the shells even fell into the Sarovar. Hundreds of Sikhs were humiliated, beaten with lathi's and rifles and arrested, this included several hundred Bibiyan. As a show of strength, the troops also out on a flag march, first through the streets of Amritsar Sahib and then around the Siree Harmander Sahib complex itself.
6th Invasion By Indria Gandhi & Army 1984In the late 1970's, Indria Gandhi decided to setle the 'Sikh Problem' for once and all. She was frustrated bu the fact Sikhs had protested against her illegal declaration of 'Emergency Rules', when she was found guilty on corruption charges and ended up in prison.
In June 1984, on the Shaheedi Gurpurab of Siree Guru Arjan Dev Sahib Jee, she ordered the Indian Army to launch an attack on Siree Harmander Sahib and over 40 other Gurdwaras, on the pretext of 'flushing out militants'. The operation was carefully timed under a media blackout, to cause maximum casualties as innocent Sikh devotees were gathered there in high numbers.
As news of the attack traveled, Sikh Jathas started to converge towards Siree Harmander Sahib, but they were stopped or gunned down by Indian army patrols, supported by helicopter fire.
At Siree Harmander Sahib itself, around 150 ChardeeKaala Khalsa Warriors held out against 15,000 Indian army troops armed with the latest weaponry (including chemical weapons) for over 12 Days. The army was taken aback by ferocious resistance they faced and suffered high casualties. In the end, they brought in tank support and destroyed Siree Akaal Takht Sahib. The army proceeded to set fire to the Sikh reference library and destroyed and stole centuries of history and heritage. Siree Harmander Sahib itself had over 300 bullets fired into it. The sacred Sarovar was a pool of blood & bodies.
In November of 1984, Bhai Beant Singh & Bhai Satwant Singh assassinated Indria Gandhi for her heinous crime and demonstrated again that the spirit of Sukha Singh & Mehtab Singh lives on in the Sikhs.
7th & 8th Invasions By Rajiv Gandhi 1986 & 1988Having been failed by the justice system after the 1984 attacks the Sikhs resorted to direct action and started fighting back, using Siree Harmander Sahib and the Akaal Takht Sahib as the anchor point. In response to this, the Government started to plant its agents in and around the Siree Harmander Sahib Complex and infiltrated it.
In April 1986, the Sikhs had gathered there for a pre-planned meeting. In order to stop them, Indian Commandos stormed the complex, killing and arresting several Sikhs who were inside. The operation was code named Operation Search (later called Operation Black Thunder)
On this occasion, most of the Sikhs had been persuaded not to fight because they feared the loss of innocent life. Therefore most of them surrendered to the Army peacefully. A second attack in May 1988 saw the complex being attacked again with more Sikhs being killed. Government infiltrators also desecrated the inside of Siree Darbar Sahib by excreting within it and later 'surrendering' to the police.
I know not enough has been written about the last 3 Invasions as it is a brief account. It is very deep and vicious please research on them.
Despite these 8 invasions, Siree Harmander Sahib stand splendor as ever!
Those that seek to destroy it should look back at its history and that of those tried to desecrate it, to see what remained of them and their empires.
It is vital for all regimes to note that the Sikhs have never compromised their right to freely assemble at Siree Harmander Sahib and to conduct their campaigns from there. It is the centre of Sikh Spiritual & Political affairs. It has also been the centre of resistance against the tyranny of many of India's Rulers. Those regimes who wish to quash the Sikhs should understand that the KHALSA is destined to be free and sovereign
History has shown that if you befriend the Sikhs they can be the greatest of friends. However, if you attempt to cross them, they can become the most dangerous of enemies.