JALANDHAR: Reacting to the attack on Lt Gen (retd) Kuldip Singh Brar and his subsequent reaction that it was an act of separatist Khalistani organizations, Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale’s nephew and former Akal Takht Jathedar Jasbir Singh Rode has said that let the first investigations details come out before jumping to any conclusions.
Baba Harnam Singh, who now heads Damdami Taksal which was once headed by Bhindrawale, has also rubbished the suggestion that Blue Star memorial being raised in Darbar Sahib Complex was opening new wounds saying “wounds were already etched deep in Sikh psyche”. “These wounds can’t be healed by not raising a memorial but only if government of India apologizes for ordering attack on the holiest shrine of Sikhs and killing hundreds of innocents as well,” he argued. “Sikhs were angry against the attack, are angry and will always remain angry if government will not give any healing touch by apologizing,” h e argued adding “now even Congress leaders refrain from justifying the attack”.
“Brar is projecting himself to be hero but what was the fault of hundreds of innocent unarmed Sikhs who were killed by Brar’s armymen without giving them any chance to come out of the Golden Temple and that too when army chose the martyrdom day of fifth Sikh master Guru Arjan Dev to launch the offensive.
“Brar has indulged in self glorification with stereotyped reaction from him to blame followers of Sant Bhildrawale. The assailants have not yet been identified and Brar and his political sympathizers are out with conclusions,” Rode said while speaking to TOI.
“In place of blaming others Brar should introspect. The army action was a blunder and time has proved that there was little justification for it. Brar should have sought pardon for his role as he not only led the attack but also executed it very badly and great damage was done to the innocents and the Darbar Sahib,” Rode said. “Several eye witness accounts had detailed the excesses of the army men under Brar,” he said.
Rode said that even as Brar and a few others were naming some so called militant organizations but the attack appeared handiwork of some amateur people. “The anger is in the entire community and not just in a few people. You can’t divide it between soft liners or hard liners. Every Sikhs was pained by the army action ,” he said.
