It should hardly be necessary to say that the whole country has heaved a sigh of relief over the success of the army’s short and swift, even if costly, operation in the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar. This sense of relief is accompanied by a deep appreciation of the restraint which the officers and men have exercised even at the risk of their lives in the performance of their duty. There is special relief that the temple proper – Har Mandir Sahib – has not been damaged at all though terrorists hiding in the complex fired upon the security forces from its sacred precincts. This speaks of the concern that not only the army but also the government under whose orders it was acting have shown towards the sensibilities of the Sikh community.
Despite all this, it would have been unrealistic on the part of the rest of us not to have anticipated that a large number of Sikhs would be greatly agitated over what has happened. Communities with a strong sense of identity and grievance, however unjustified, tend to take a partisan and self-serving view of developments. In the present case, no one could possibly ignore the fact that a significant number of Sikhs regarded the Akali demands as reasonable and legitimate, and that they found it convenient to blame the government for the reign of murder, loot and arson Bhindranwale and his gang had unleashed and to turn a blind eye towards the dastardly crimes the terrorists committed day after day. They had perhaps also convinced themselves that the authorities were incompetent and incapable of firm action and were, therefore, taken by surprise when finally – after 22 months – Mrs. Gandhi called in the army last Saturday. There were, of course, Sikhs who were alarmed over the drift of events. Some of them were nationalists who do not think in communal terms; some others did not like the violent and anti-Hindu turn Bhindranwale had given to the agitation; and some even feared that a set-up dominated by a particular community among the Sikhs would not treat them justly. But it is impossible to assess their strength. If they constituted the majority, they were silent. So it was only to be expected that there would be angry demonstrations by the Sikhs in the wake of the unavoidable army action in Amritsar. In fact, the demonstrations could have been more widespread and ferocious than they have been. As we know only too well, the general conditions in the country also favour such agitations. They have become part of the democratic process as we practice it in India. By themselves, these demonstrations need not, therefore, cause much concern. Either they will pass, as such agitations generally do, or they will be dealt with as they deserve to be.
The central problem remains what it was before the army operation in Amritsar and elsewhere in Punjab – that of terrorism. Some impressive gains have clearly been made. Neither the Golden Temple nor any other gurdwara can now be used as a headquarters and a refuge by terrorists and criminals cooperating with them. The death of Bhindranwale, Amrik Singh and Maj-Gen (retired) Shubeg Singh eliminates the top leadership of the extremists. But we know too little about the surviving terrorists – their numbers, organizational structure, chain of command, possible sources of support in the new context, their external connections and so on – to be able to make a firm assessment. If it is correct, as has been widely believed, that a lot of criminals had made common cause with Bhindranwale and that he was the main inspiration behind the killing of innocent people in Punjab and elsewhere, it should be possible for the army to dispose of the menace reasonably quickly. The police too would now have no excuse for not being able to track down the gangsters since they can no longer seek refuge in gurdwaras. But it would be dangerous to be complacent. Right now, we are not even sure whether we are dealing with loosely organised bands of criminals, or with a properly organised, even if a relatively small, guerrilla force; whether Bhindranwale was its sole leader or whether he was being manipulated by some other unknown individuals and agencies; and whether or not a successor to him is ready to take over the leadership of his supporters. Bhindranwale is, on the face of it, a most unlikely candidate for the martyr’s crown. But an attempt will almost certainly be made to cast him in that role. Again, we have no idea of the true nature of support for him in the Sikh community and cannot, therefore, assess whether or not the move will succeed. All in all, complacency will be as much out of place as panic. The proper approach would be to be cautiously optimistic and at the same time wholly vigilant. The gravity of the situation must be neither exaggerated nor minimised.