Pro-Khalistan slogans were raised by several members of the Sikh community inside the Golden Temple premises on the 40th anniversary of Operation Blue Star on Thursday.

The protestors also displayed posters of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who led the pro-Khalistan movement in Punjab in the 1980s, and was killed in the military operation in June 1984.

Also, in a video shared by news agency ANI, Simranjit Singh Mann, the Member of Parliament (MP) from Sangrur in the 17th Lok Sabha which was dissolved a day ago, is seen among people raising pro-Khalistan slogans.

On October 31, 1984, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who ordered the army to carry out Operation Blue Star, was assassinated at her residence by her two Sikh bodyguards: Beant Singh and Satwant Sinkh.

Beant Singh’s son Sarabjeet, and radical Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh, will both be members of the 18th Lok Sabha, and are among seven candidates who won as independents in the recently-held Lok Sabha elections. While Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa won Punjab’s Faridkot seat, Amritpal, who is currently lodged in Assam’s Dibrugarh jail, won from Khadoor Sahib constituency, also in Punjab.

While Sarabjeet defeated Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Karamjit Singh Anmol by a margin of 70,053 votes, Amritpal won by a margin of 197,120 votes against the Congress party’s Kuldeep Singh Zira.

Security beefed up 

Meanwhile, security has been beefed up in Amritsar, particularly around the Golden Temple, according to a senior police official.

“Security arrangements have been made here (Golden Temple). Forces have been deployed and barricading has been done. Any untoward incident will be monitored,” said Senior Superintendent of Police SS Randhawa Singh.