Amritsar: Armed members belonging to Damdami Taksal, one of the five Takhts of Sikh Community, on Monday visited the Golden Temple to register their protest against Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee’s proposal to remove the name of Khalistani secessionist Jarnail Singh Bhindrawala from records of a Sikh Temple. Significantly, this is for the first time since Operation Blue Star in 1984 that weapons have been carried inside the Golden Temple complex, the seat of Akal Takht, considered to be the highest of the five divisions in the Sikh community. An atmosphere of fear descended upon the place which has seen the bloodiest of days during the Khalistani movement and subsequent crackdown by the Centre.

Speaking up for his former president Bhindrawala who had allegedly instigated a protracted and gory insurgency in Punjab in early eighties before being killed in Operation Blue Star ordered by then-PM Indira Gandhi. Damdami Taksal chief Harnaam Singh Dhumma warned that if SGPC didn’t mend its ways and omitted the name of Bhindrawala from religious records, then Damdami Taksal would have to assume a ‘confrontationist stance’. “Though we do not want a face-off and believe that matters would be solved amicably, still we are keeping all options open if our demands aren’t met,” stated Dhumma. The extremist Damdami Taksal is said to enjoy full support of Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal and it is also held that Punjab government is not cracking down on extremist factions for fear of alienating the Sikh voters.