History Today: When India's Operation Blue Star began at Amritsar's Golden Temple

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On June 1, 1984, the Indian Army launched Operation Blue Star at the Golden Temple on orders from Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The operation targeted militants led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who was pushing for an independent Sikh-majority nation in Punjab, known as Khalistan. The first exchange of gunfire during the assault took place on this day. Also on this day in 1980, Cable News Network (CNN), the world's first 24-hour television news channel, was launched by Ted Turner read more
The first gunfire exchange in the assault on the Golden Temple occurred on June 1, 1984. Image: X/@SoniaLiberal
On June 1, 1984, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi gave the order for 'Operation Blue Star' at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab. The aim of the mission was to remove militants led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.
Over 80 soldiers and at least hundreds of pilgrims caught in the fighting lost their lives, according to government officials.
At the time, Bhindranwale was a key leader in the rising separatist Khalistan movement.
The anger within parts of the Sikh community over the operation reached its peak on October 31, 1984, when Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her two Sikh bodyguards, who held her responsible for the attack.
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Also on this day in 1974, the stop-choking method created by Cincinnati surgeon Henry J. Heimlich was published. Known as the Heimlich manoeuvre, it involves applying inward and upward pressure on the abdomen of choking individuals and has become the standard lifesaving technique.
Further, in 1980, CNN (Cable News Network), the world's first 24-hour news channel, was launched. The network began broadcasting from its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, with a lead story about the attempted assassination of civil rights leader Vernon Jordan.
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Let's take a look at the events:
The launch of Operation Blue Star
The Indian Army launched Operation Blue Star on June 1, 1984, following orders from Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
The operation took place at the Golden Temple, targeting militants led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.
He was once the leader of the Sikh seminary Damdami Taksal and a key figure in the Khalistan separatist movement. He had taken refuge in the Harmandir Sahib Complex.
Bhindranwale sought to create an independent Sikh-majority country in Punjab called Khalistan.
On May 3, Major General RS Brar was called to Punjab and given command of the operation, which was code-named Operation Blue Star.
The Golden Temple complex suffered extensive damage. AFP/File Photo
The first gunfire exchange in the assault on the Golden Temple occurred on June 1, 1984.
On June 2, speaking on All India Radio, Gandhi urged: 'don't shed blood, shed hatred,' while the military surrounded the Golden Temple complex and more than 40 other gurdwaras across Punjab.
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On June 3, a 36-hour curfew was imposed in Punjab. All communication and public transport were halted, electricity lines were cut, and strict media censorship was enforced.
The army began the main assault on the night of June 5. The initial goal was to neutralise the high defensive positions Bhindranwale's men had built inside the Golden Temple complex. The army believed the operation could not succeed if those positions remained.
After midnight on June 6, a full-scale attack took place, including heavy gunfire and tank shells that destroyed the Akal Takht. The next day, Bhindranwale's body was found in the basement of the damaged Akal Takht, bearing multiple bullet wounds, though the exact cause of death is unclear.
The Golden Temple complex suffered extensive damage. Apart from the Akal Takht, there were bullet holes in the temple, and a valuable Sikh library, along with its books, was lost to fire.
The operation's impact spread beyond the immediate casualties.
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The aftermath of the operation saw then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards. AFP/File Photo
The deep anger felt by parts of the Sikh community over the operation reached its most tragic point on October 31, 1984, when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her two Sikh bodyguards, who held her responsible for the attack.
Heimlich maneuver was published
On this day in 1974, Cincinnati surgeon Henry J. Heimlich's stop-choking technique was published in the medical journal 'Emergency Medicine'.
The Heimlich maneuver, which involves pressing inward and upward on the abdomen of someone who is choking, became the standard way to save lives.
June 1 is now observed each year as National Heimlich Maneuver Day. Wikimedia Commons
Heimlich shared his early findings in an essay titled 'Pop Goes the Cafe Coronary,' published in the June 1974 issue of the journal.
The term 'Cafe Coronary syndrome' describes a situation where a person chokes while eating in a restaurant, and onlookers mistake it for a heart attack.
Before Heimlich's technique, the usual medical response was a tracheostomy, which involves inserting a large needle into the windpipe to open an airway, a procedure only doctors could perform.
Heimlich tested the method on four Beagle dogs, repeating the treatment over 20 times on each. The dogs responded well, which gave Heimlich confidence that the same method would help humans with blocked airways.
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Over the next fifty years, the technique saved tens of thousands of lives. June 1 is now observed each year as National Heimlich Maneuver Day.
CNN was launched
On June 1, 1980, CNN (Cable News Network), the world's first 24-hour television news channel, was launched.
The network began broadcasting from its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, with a lead story about the attempted assassination of civil rights leader Vernon Jordan.
CNN changed the idea that news was only shown at set times during the day.
CNN eventually became known for covering live events worldwide. Wikimedia Commons
At the time, TV news in the US was dominated by three major networks, ABC, CBS, and NBC, each with a 30-minute nightly news broadcast.
CNN was created by Robert 'Ted' Turner, a bold and outspoken businessman nicknamed the 'Mouth of the South.'
In its early years, CNN lost money and was mocked as the Chicken Noodle Network.
However, it eventually became known for covering live events worldwide as they happened, often ahead of the major networks.
This Day, That Year
1926: American actress and model Marilyn Monroe was born.
1968: Helen Keller, the renowned writer and lecturer, passed away.
2001: Crown Prince Dipendra of Nepal shot and killed nine members of the Nepalese royal family, including his parents, King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya, before injuring himself.
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2001: World Milk Day is celebrated worldwide after the United Nations declared it in 2001 to promote the importance of milk as a global food.
2009: An Air France flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris went into freefall and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, killing all 228 people on board.