Operation Bluestar: 37 years on, no clarity on articles missing from Sikh Reference Library

Thirty-seven years since the Sikh Reference Library got destroyed in Operation Bluestar at the Golden Temple, confusion and ambiguities still prevail over the missing rare repository of manuscripts and other artifacts that were taken away by the army.
Not only the Centre, the SGPC too has failed to come up with accurate details of the items that went missing and the ones returned by the Union government latter.
And now, Punjab and Haryana high Court is hearing a petition filed last year by one Satinder Singh against the SGPC after former library director Anurag Singh questioned the integrity of the SGPC in preserving the rare repository. He claimed that the army had returned the items three months after the operation and the SGPC officials received them on September 29, 1984, but many items are missing from the library now. He also alleged that some of the rare ‘birs’ were sold.
As the allegations sent the SGPC into a quandary, it set up a four-member committee of senior members to investigate the matter. When asked, the SGPC president Jagir Kaur did not reveal anything about the probe.
An SGPC staffer said, “We are identifying lies in the allegations levelled by the petitioner. We are recording statements of the former SGPC staffers who have worked in the library.” He said the gurdwara body will challenge the allegations.
SGPC member Kiranjot Kaur, who is a member of the probe panel, said, “We are studying the allegations levelled by the petitioner. We could not prepare a final report on this since there is a lot of confusion about the repository in the library. When we ask the retired employees of the library, they give different information.”
“Actually, SGPC staff never knew of the importance of this library and it has never been their priority,” she said.
“They (petitioner) have made an allegation that original ‘hukamnamas’ are missing from the library and only their photos are there. This is a lie because when we checked the record, we found that the library only had the photos. And the source of the photographs has been mentioned in the record properly. We are yet to carry out the investigation on other allegations,” she said, adding, “We are taking time because we need to bring out the truth.”
Satinder said, “The SGPC has been constituting sub-committees since 2003. This is the third sub-committee. Where are the findings of the first two committees? Nobody knows.”
-
Bhagwant Mann marries Dr Gurpreet Kaur: Wedding over, this is the lunch menu
A spread of lip-smacking food was laid out for Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann's wedding function in Chandigarh. A food menu of the function, obtained by news agency ANI, showed that guests at the wedding were served the best of Indian cuisine including Karahi Paneer, Tandoori Kulche, Dal Makhani, Navratan Biryani, Mausami Subzian. They also got to devour some Italian dishes including the Lasagna Siciliano. This is Bhagwant Mann's second marriage.
-
‘Personal issues’ led to communal clashes in Karnataka's Kerur, says CM Bommai
A communal clash that broke out in Karnataka's Kerur was due to 'personal issues' between the two sides, chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Thursday, a day after violence erupted in the town over alleged eve-teasing. The situation in Kerur continues to be peaceful but tense, and a total of 18 people – from both the Hindu and Muslim communities – have been arrested. Overall, at least four people were injured in the clashes.
-
Odisha: 3 workers die of asphyxiation at chowmein factory in Gajapati
In a tragic incident, three people working in a chowmein factory in Gajapati district of Odisha died of asphyxiation on Wednesday night after they went to sleep while keeping the chowmein dryer machine turned on. Police officials in Gajapati said the three workers in the chowmein factory at Narayan Nagar of Mohana area had gone to sleep after putting the soggy chowmein noodles to dry in the chowmein dryer machine.
-
Bengaluru: Hebbal junction gets new traffic rules. Here are some steps to follow
The Hebbal flyover in Bengaluru - known for its traffic congestion - has finally been picked up by city authorities, who have come out with a fresh set of rules. The advisory was announced by the Bangalore Traffic Police. The same goes for vehicles coming from KR Puram, Road and Tumakuru Road. Vehicles traveling on the airport road flyover can join the Hebbal flyover as usual.
-
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann begins new chapter on golden note
Looking dapper in a mustard kurta-pyjama and Nehru jacket with a matching golden yellow turban, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann was all smiles as Aam Aadmi Party leaders Arvind Kejriwal and MP Raghav Chadha arrived to attend his wedding to Dr Gurpreet Kaur at a private ceremony at his official residence in Chandigarh on Thursday morning. A van carrying Guru Granth Sahib arrived around 10am amid tight security around the chief minister's residence.