'It is deeply humbling and provokes feelings of profound shame to visit this place that witnessed such atrocities hundred years ago'
Two groups clashed inside the Golden Temple premises for close to half an hour on Friday morning leaving at least 12 persons injured, even as the temple city observed a bandh to mark the 30th anniversary of Operation Bluestar.
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa held a meeting in Amritsar with the deputy commissioner, the police commissioner, the inspector general of police (border range), the Amritsar Rural Senior Superintendent of Police and other officials after the incident.
The indefinite hunger strike of anti-Sikh riot victims was called off on the sixth day on Wednesday after an appeal from Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh to the protesters.
Amid separatist slogans and "honouring" of death row convict Balwant Singh Rajoana, the 28th anniversary of Operation Bluestar to flush out militants from Sikh holy shrine the Golden Temple, was on Wednesday observed at Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat, an event from which Punjab's ruling Shiromani Akali Dal kept away.
As debate raged over raising of a memorial for those killed during Operation Blue Star in 1984, the the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabhandhak Committee, in a controversial move, honoured family members of the two assassins of General A S Vaidya in the Golden Temple complex.
"It is a highly unfortunate incident which has taken place in America leaving six innocent devotees dead. This is a security lapse on the part of US government," Giani Gurbachan Singh, the head priest of Akal Takht, the highest Sikh temporal seat, said in Amritsar.
The Sikh religious leadership on Monday condemned the attack on a Gurudwara in Wisconsin in which seven people were killed.
Rode, the place chosen for the dastarbandi (turban-tying) event on September 29, 2022, happens to be the ancestral village of slain terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.
Divisions among two groups of Sikhs in Canada over the authenticity of holy scripture Dasam Granth have come out in the open with violence breaking out in a gurudwara in which three people were injured.
A group of Sikhs protesting the holding of a religious congregation by sect leader Ashutosh Maharaj in Ludhiana clashed with the police, which used tear gas and batons to quell them, leaving one dead and 12 others injured.
'Kirtans' (hymns) were sung and prayers offered as Bhindranwale's portrait was placed alongside paintings dating to the 15th century in the Sikh heritage museum.
Gyani Gurbachan Singh, the Jathedar Akal Takht (highest Sikh temporal seat), expressed shock over the behaviour of Sikh cricketer Harbhajan Singh, who danced on television dance show, Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena with Mona Singh, wearing a tilak and dressed as Ravana.
Making an early morning trip to the holiest Sikh shrine, Dr Singh accompanied by his wife Gurusharan reached the complex at 6 am and spent an hour there.
In a controversial action, the highest Sikh temporal seat on Sunday declared the assassins of former prime minister Indira Gandhi as martyrs of the community.
DSGMC chief Paramjit Singh Sarna, who defeated SAD for a second time in committee elections last month, also demanded in a statement that the SGPC, the top Sikh religious administration controlled by Badal's SAD, take action against Sidhu.
No violence was reported from any part of the state and the situation was peaceful and under control.
The Dera Sacha Sauda on Friday moved a petition before the Supreme Court seeking protection for all the Deras across the country against an alleged ultimatum given by the Akal Takht to vacate them by May 27 and stop their activities.
The Sikh high priests have called for a Punjab bandh on May 22.
The additional director general of police (security), however, said in an order on Friday that the security personnel were 'being withdrawn on a purely temporary basis in connection with an emergent law and order duty'.
The issue was Akal Takht jathedar Giani Joginder Singh Vendanti's liberal attitude towards Baba Dhanwant Singh, chief of the Nawanshahar-based Vishwa Noor Roohani Satsang, allegedly involved in a rape case.
Over 100,000 devotees have reached the temple town from all over the world for the event.
Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has apologised for dressing up like Guru Gobind Singh.
'I'm now living under threat, but life has to go on because as a soldier, you can't run away from it.'
SGPC chief Kirpal Singh Badungar said the community's opinion would be sought on this issue.
The veteran Akali leader has been hooked on to life support systems.
There's an entire gurdwara dedicated to immigration. People present tiny airliner models here in the hope that Waheguru will soon give them a ticket, passport and visa to leave, reveals Shekhar Gupta.
Even as the home ministry sent out alerts to states over Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Singh Ram Rahim's movie, Messenger of God, the Censor Board has refused to certify the film taking exception to the spiritual leader depicting himself as god on the silver screen.
The competition for the worst or most perilous 10 years has always been between the 1960s and the 1980s, points out Shekhar Gupta.
Rahul, who was accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, state minister Navjot Singh Sidhu and some other Congress leaders, paid floral tributes at the memorial inside the Jallianwala Bagh in the morning.
'It is funny that he's on CCTV all the time, but the Punjab police can't find him.'
'Even if a dog dies, a condolence message is sent by Delhi leaders. But I am hurt that 600 farmers have died but no resolution was passed in Parliament'
The train, Akal Takht Express was halted at the Akbarganj Railway station at 1:14 am.
B D Pande was Punjab's governor during Operation Bluestar. In this excerpt from his memoir, In the Service of Free India: Memoir of a Civil Servant, Pande reveals what really went on behind the scenes during those dark days in India's history.
It is as much about farmer woes and the lack of job opportunities as about the mixing of religion and politics.
The Kartarpur corridor was an excellent opportunity for the Congress to seize centre-stage in Sikh religious affairs. After all, the Akalis never achieved this in their years in power, says Sanjeev Nayyar.
Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan has been summoned by a court in the United States over his alleged controversial slogan in 1984 following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards.
Kumar has denied arranging any meeting between former deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and the Dera Sacha Sauda sect head.
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