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Will China risk an embarrassing naval defeat in its attempt to steal international waters?

To enter the great game of the Grandmasters of Geopolitics, you need to understand the implications of many of the issues which determine whether a country is rising or declining. Elihu Root is a forgotten architect of America’s transformation from insular continental nation to future world prominence. He pushed hard for building an institutional infrastructure at home and abroad and managed to move the world away from the previous rampant crude colonialism of military conquest and gunboat diplomacy to a new global system of sovereign states resolving disputes through international law. This he did by turning the fragmented federal US government into a more coherent apparatus under the oversight of the nation’s elite into a united whole which centred on creating new forms of global governance open to Washington’s influence. He also re-organised the army into a professional unit and it was the beginning of the largest military organ on the planet.To resolve the problem of a republic running an empire, he established colonial regimes in Puerto Rico and Philippines and had to cover up the atrocities of the army’s brutal pacification of the Philippines. But he managed to enter into diplomatic social networking with Latin America and managed to get their backing to conclude a legal international agreement on the Laws of War, housed at the Peace Palace at the Hague in 1913. Later on he helped to establish the permanent Court of International Justice. These laid the way for America to engage the world via diplomacy and was key to later US prominence. If you think about it, he was decades ahead of his time, because after WWII, it became apparent that USA was poised to exert the greatest influence on Earth, because its legal principles and ideals had great appeal. We will not discuss why US began to deviate from its own idealistic formulations because that would be another chapter.Post WWII, we had the contending forces of the Soviet Union and the Cold War, which was in reality a great game between the land-mass based Russian power and the US outlying continental power. As it turned out, Zbigniew Brzezinski, another Grandmaster, managed to draw the Soviet Empire into an Afghanistan quagmire which weakened it sufficiently to cause the collapse of the Soviet Union. Ironically, the US found itself caught in another debacle in Afghanistan decades later. In history, you have had the British with its outlying island maritime prowess contending with Napoleon’s France in the interior. Do you know why Hitler wanted to conquer Russia in spite of their earlier treaty at the start of WWII not to go to war? Because both Napoleon and Hitler knew that whoever controls the hinterland of Euro-Asia controlled much of the world’s resources. This was Halford Mackinder’s theory presented at the Royal Geographical Society in 1904.USA is using the NATO on the western flank and Japan, Korea, Guam, Australia on its eastern flank to assert control over the Euro-Asian land mass geopolitical axis. It thus became involved in many of the wars in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Yugoslavia etc in an effort to retain its global hegemony. In the process, it has been experimenting with newer methods of warfare to reduce the impact of body counts as was the case in Vietnam, which led to widespread anti-war movements at home. Most people are unaware of the way the US has been using the wars as a crucible of innovation to perfect their weapons of the future. For example, when Russia launched the Sputnik, Eisenhower responded by establishing NASA and DARPA (Defence Advance Research Projects Agency), the latter creating ArPaNet, forerunner of the Internet, which has allowed incredible information collection on people all over the world. In Vietnam, with the bombing of the Ho Chi Minh Trail using sensors and computers at Task Force Alpha, they tracked the movement of trucks, troops, artillery and tanks and launched their battlefield of the future… using data links, computed intelligence evaluation, and automated bombing controls. Satellite communications, remote sensing, computer-triggered bombing, aerial gunships and drones/ surveillance craft would later merge into a system of robotic warfare. Electronic surveillance and biometric identification would also come onto its own in the war in Afghanistan, and drone warfare using GPS became a reality. The CIA and Air force has ringed the Eurasian landmass with a network of 60 bases for Reaper and Predator drones – from Sigonella in Sicily, Incirlik – Turkey, Djibouti- Horn of Africa, Qatar, Abudhabi, Seychelles, Jlalabad, Khost, Kandahar, Shindand- Afghanistan, Zamboanga- Philippines, Guam etc. And they are now developing miniature drones, even handheld ones. Significantly, the weaponisation of space by USA has been proceeding since 2009 and this is now an unregulated domain, with a triple canopy of sky to space surveillance of the ‘commons’ of the world space. Space warfare with the X-37 B drone at 200 miles above the Earth has already come into the picture. So the final picture of our descent into chaos with the final war is across five combat domains- space, cyberspace, sky, sea and earth.Enter China and Russia, the doyen of the Ex-Soviet era, into the geopolitical equation. The economy of this combined entity is approximately just less than that of the USA if GDP is the criteria. On technical grounds, the military armamentarium of Russia is possibly a match for the USA while China is playing catch-up.Syria has been a testing ground for electronic warfare systems, UAVs, new communications systems, antitank weapon systems, and much else. It has also offered the opportunity to trial a wide array of longer-range weapons and missiles, with heavy emphasis on the use and testing of standoff weapons from extreme ranges, including from the Caspian and Mediterranean Seas and delivered by air from the eastern and western approaches to Syria. Other learning opportunities unique to Syria include air–ground coordination, interaction with indigenous forces, and, in the air, the chance to engage in brinkmanship and study closely the capabilities and tactics of aircraft from NATO nations and Israel while supported by advanced land- and sea-based Russian air defense systems. Finally, on the basis of operations in and around Syria, Russia has shown pride in its demonstrated ability to deploy personnel, equipment, and stores over long distances swiftly and without detection. Western military observers are painting a picture of a “2030 future” in which Russia has developed a “new generation” warfare, one in which Russian ground forces would rely on massive salvoes of precision rocket and artillery fire, targeted by UAVs and cyber and electronic warfare capabilities designed to blind NATO. We do not have to look as far ahead as 2030 to see precisely that capacity taking shape. New Russian rocket artillery systems offer a much greater range than their Western equivalents, which gives Russia the option of mounting artillery bombardments without concern over counterbattery fire. The wide choice of munitions available to Russia (including dual-purpose, improved, conventional munitions; thermobaric, scatterable mines; and sensor-fused munitions) includes some that NATO nations have abandoned or never developed. Russia has introduced new stand-alone communications and data networks with a reported low probability of intercept, reducing their vulnerability to countermeasures or exploitation by Western adversaries.China on the other hand has been concentrating on its defence capability and is poised to challenge American air dominance and has already shown itself to be a formidable naval power, according to a newly published report. In a press launch for its annual “Military Balance” report published on Wednesday, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) highlighted the rapid modernization of Chinese land and naval forces and described China's progress in aerospace defense as “remarkable.” “China’s emerging weapons developments and broader defence-technological progress mean that it has become a global defence innovator and is not merely ‘catching up’ with the West,” Dr. John Chipman, Director-General and Chief Executive of IISS, said. China’s Chengdu J-20 low-observable combat aircraft is on track to enter front-line squadron service by 2020, jeopardizing the US monopoly on operational stealth combat aircraft. The report also highlights China’s growing missile arsenal, including the PL-15 extended range air-to-air missile, which is believed to be equipped with an active electronically scanned array radar – a technology that has been successfully utilized in an air-to-air missile by just a handful of other nations. “These advances are all part of the Chinese air force’s goal to become capable of challenging any opponent in the air domain. For the past three decades, air dominance has been a key advantage for the US and its allies. This can no longer be assumed.” Since 2000, China has built more submarines, destroyers, frigates and corvettes than Japan, South Korea and India combined, and the total tonnage of new warships launched by China in the last four years alone is significantly greater than the total tonnage of the entire French navy. The Chinese are looking to reduce third party, most prominently the United States' (US) ability to intervene against China in regional crises. The Science of Military Strategy 2015 suggests that the conventional and nuclear interface in the Peoples Liberation Army Rocket Forces (PLARFs) is a deliberate strategy. China also fields a variety of conventional Intermediate Range Ballistic Missiles (IRBMs) and Land Attack Cruise Missiles (LACMs). The DF-26 or the 'Guam Killer' is both a conventional and nuclear capable ballistic missile, while the DF-21D is an anti-ship ballistic missile. China deploys four or five Jin (094) class SSBN submarines and is set to deploy JL-2 missiles on them to get assured second strike capability. In the future, China aims to field an advanced (096) SSBN and one capable of launching cruise missiles. China has conducted a total of four tests of hypersonic glide vehicle beginning in January 2014. This is aimed at providing the Chinese the ability to evade US missile defences. There has been a sharp accretion in the strength of the PLAN with the acquisition of the Luhu (052), Luhai (051B), Sovremenny, Luyang (052) and Luzhou (051C) class destroyers, Jiangwei (053) and Jiangkai(054) class frigates, the Song, Yuan and Kilo class subs, the Jin and Shang nuclear powered attack subs, Liaoning and 100 fourth generation fighters which include J-10, J-11, Su 30s and 30 H-6 bombers with air to ship missiles. China commissioned 18 ships in 2016, and in January 2017 it commissioned an electronic reconnaissance vessel. The PLAAF emphasises integrated aerospace operations with simultaneous offensive and defensive operations. This means an air force marrying the Information Technology (IT) component of China's space satellite system with the PLAAF and developing command and control systems for integrated aerospace operations for an air offensive campaign, air and missile defence and strategic force projection. China has developed a sophisticated cyberwarfare capacity through its Unit 61398 and has also launched 14 satellites by 2012 into a hybrid constellation in three kinds of orbit with more in high orbits and better anti- shielding capabilities, and on track to cover the entire globe with 35 satellites by 2020. It also achieved a bold breakthrough in communications security by launching the world’s first quantum satellite.RAND Corporation 2016 study projects that by 2025, any all-out war with China would involve very heavy casualties and victory would not be certain, concluding that there may well be no clear winner in such a conflict. If there is a nuclear exchange, all other projections would be meaningless.

What is the best anime character so far?

L LawlietL Lawliet from Death Note is easily my favorite anime character. He´s an excellent rival to Light, and contrasts him excellently. He´s not really a good guy, he´s connving, deceptive, and very, very clever. He stands on a moral gray ground, as he´s willing to sacrifice people to catch Light, similar to how Light is willing to sacrifice people for his very own goal. L constantly entertains every step of the way, as a foil to Light, and as a complex and fascinating character with a lot of personality and quirkiness to him.2. Kakashi HatakeKakashi is most fans favorite character. And he is mine as well. He is someone who is infinitely complex and intricate. His backstory is tragic, but despite the pain of losing his father, his mother, his best friends, his mentor, his mentor´s wife, and many more, he manages to bear it. So many philosophies are ingrained into this man, and its thanks to him Team 7 grew up to be who they are. He holds a special place in my heart, and I absolutely cherish this amazing character.3. Monkey D LuffyHonestly Luffy is great. Many people will say that he is too stupid, but that just adds to his charm. See, take him out of the world he’s in and he is nothing more than a simple minded dumbass. But in his world he is a fantastic protagonist. His goal is not to rule the world, or gain respect, or anything like that. He just wants to be free. And he honestly embodies freedom. He does what he wants, goes where he wants, fights who he wants, he does what he pleases. He does not want to be a hero, or to be revered, no he does not give a damn. He just does what he thinks is right and what pleases him. And that’s what makes him so interesting.4. GutsLets talk about the real Black Swordsman.Out of all protagonists, Guts is probably the most human. Put him in any story and he will fit. Guts is a man driven by human emotions. He endures hell and shit ever single damn day of his life, yet he pushes through it. He is not devoid of sins like many protagonists who are pure good guys with the best moral compass, and he has killed and destroyed. He does not seek to change any place he goes to, simply continue living. He does not act like a super hero, and exists in the moral gray area. Guts is a representation of all our humanity. What we go through except multiplied by a thousand. Guts is realistic like no other, and I love him.5. Edward ElricEdward Elric is another incredibly human protagonist. So much happens to him, and unlike Guts he is much younger when him and his brother lose parts of their very own body. And the thing is, despite seeming selfish and cold, he is in truth very compassionate, and is willing to let go of what might have been his only chance at recovering his body because it was morally wrong and unjust. So many horrors are shown to him, so much things a 15 year old should not have to witness. And yet he plows through it. Forges on. He does alchemy which is purely scientific, but is still a very human character. On the outside he is metal, and on the inside he is human. Humans are driven by emotion and willpower, and Edward has that in the masses. Then, in the end, when he is forced to sacrifice his alchemy, he does it without a thought. All that power he gives up in order to save his brother.6. Lelouch vi BritanniaLelouch is a revolutionary. One with a grand and difficult vision. And throughout the ordeal he faces to claim back his country, this ideology is tested time and time again. He is forced to make sacrifices, adjustments, nail biting decisions under the persona of Zero. And he takes it all willingly. All the challenges are accepted by him, and this guy, through heartache and strife, through tests to his very beliefs, struggles on. He is one filled with bravery and courage, as well as unconditional love for the people close to him. His charisma is second to none, as is his wit. He takes on an entire empire so his younger sister can live in a better world. And at the end of it all, sacrifices himself, pins every ounce of hatred on himself and pretends to be a tyrant, and disappears from the utopia he struggled so hard to create for the people he cares for. If that is not a selfless protagonist I do not know what is.7. Naruto UzumakiNow, Naruto is not some philosophical work of art, no. He is not even really and truly and underdog in the power scaling sense, but I still think he is amazing. He has struggled on since he was a child, ostracized and alone. Few would consider him, and nearly his entire village mocked him. And so, he seeks to get stronger, to earn respect, make everyone love him. And he will go to any lengths to do that. He was a bit bratty, but honestly you cannot blame him. The reason I love this guy is because of how he grows. In the beginning he’s a loser, and honestly, from a social standpoint, he truly is an underdog. He is not a perfect character, or a perfectly written one, but I love him all the same and his journey.8. Gintoki SakataGintoki Sakata is the funniest character in all of anime [in my opinon]. He is a master of the difficult arts of the parodies, jokes [especially related to poop], and WTF faces. On the other hand he is also a legendary samurai with a rough past who served during the deadly Joi war to fend of the Amanto aliens. Gintoki balances these two sides of his personality so well it is difficult not to love him. Anyone would get along with him, and I guarantee you, him, just like his anime will make you laughing hysterically in one episode, and then crying in tragedy or biting your nails in tension in the next.9. Killua ZoldyckNot only is he a total badass, but he has a tragic backstory. He has been forced to endure torture training and kill since a young age, since he belonged to the Zoldyck family. This backstory, explains why he is so powerful, and yet makes him even more of a badass. It also makes way for a great motivation. He in fact only wants to have friends, since he was confined ever since childhood and never met someone to be who really understood him. So when he encounters Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio, he does everything he can to defend them and that makes him very endearing. His Nen ability, in its strongest state [which is shown above] is one of my favorites in the series. He is so good at so many things, like darts, combat, assassination, he is very smart, is immune to many things like poison and electricity, but mentally he is very fragile. *Spoiler* through out the series he is afraid of those who are stronger than him, and commonly flees from danger, because that is one of things drilled into his head by his family and big brother. However, he manages to overcome this fear for Gon, and it is such a cool and inspiring moment when he finally looses his fear and pushes past everything for Gon. His relationship with Alluka is touching and I adore his brotherly love for his little sister [I am going to assume Alluka is a girl]. He is a fantastic and compelling character, and my favorite in Hunter x Hunter.10. Itachi UchihaAt first I completely despised Itachi. I wanted him dead for what he did, what he made Sasuke go through. But as things began to clear, he became one of my top three Naruto characters. He is so elegant and sad. He was put through internal torture, as it was up to him, a fourteen year old teen to either kill his family and save the village, or fight alongside his family and cause a massive war. The original, more peaceful plan was ruined by that piece of shit Danzo, and so he was left with no choice but to massacre is own clan. And the fact that he spared his little brother, shows how much he loves him. And his death actually brought tears to my eyes because of how sincere he was. It also helps that he steals the scene every time he appears.Also, for Matt Martin in case he appears: go away, your not wanted here.11. SinbadWho does not think Sinbad is fantastic? First of all, he is a master when it comes to the art of flexing. Like he is supposedly poisoned and he sends the main characters out to find a cure, but when these attackers come, he completely kicks their ass like it´s nothing. But what really puts him on my list is how he starts as this adventurous young dreamer, but as he grows he realizes the political messiness of the world and after he establishes his own kingdom, does some truly twisted things to protect it.12. BanBan is a masterfully written character. I was struggling between him and Escanor, but Ban is my favorite. He is so selfless at heart despite being the Fox sin of Greed. So many times he has had to make hard choices, and ever since Elaine died he feels hollow, empty, as a character. This such an interesting thing about him. He is immortal, yet also incredibly depressed and sad. The only people that keep him going are his bestie cap´n Meliodas, and Elaine, his lover. And between them he has to choose over and over again, stuck in an infinite loop because he just dared to love someone but himself. He is such a tortured man and has been since childhood, yet continues going forward, enduring the agony he feels deep down. He´s the most polished and well written character in the Seven Deadly Sins, and truly feels complete.13.13. Levi AckermanLevi is simply incredible, that´s all I can say. From his backstory as a kid living in the underground, his relationship with Erwin, how he has lost so many friends and comrades along the way, there is just so much to this guy. At first he seems like nothing but a character just there to be cool, but as the story progresses he becomes a fan favorite and it is not hard to see why and badass. His motivation for killing titans and fire to exterminate them at first matches that of Eren, and deep down he really cares about his men. It is seen on multiple occasions. Humanity´s Strongest Soldier is a lot more than what he originally seems to be.14. SaitamaSaitama seems like a one note character at first. He´s another OP protagonist who can beat anyone in a single attack, however that´s not all there is to him. In fact, he actually suffers from depression, because he cannot get a challenge. He´s not some hero for justice who always tries to protect people. He likes saving people, but more importantly to him is getting a challenge. That’s a big reason why people do things. To get a challenge, to push their limits and surpass the boundaries. He is someone who cannot do that anymore. Because he has broken past any limit possible, and no one can possibly provide him with entertainment, no one can make him feel the rush of a challenge. He´s a simple yet very human MC who has basic needs that he tries to fulfill, not lofty grand ideals, just a thirst for something thrilling, something challenging.15. Reigen AratakaYes, another One character. Reigen is easily the highlight of Mob Psycho 100 in terms of characters for me. He is a fraud, a fake, but he is not a bad person. He is a moral teacher for Mob. He is always there to guide him and is a very wise character despite not being a real psychic. In episodes 6–7 of Mob Psycho we get to see what his life is like, how he reacts when the world turns on him. He is not pure, but he is probably the most human character in Mob Psycho 100, and humanity is what appeals to me in a character [as you probably figured out].16. Joseph Joestar and Johnny JoestarYour next line is….. why Joesph? Why not Jotaro? Well let me explain. While Jotaro is still a fantastic character, Joseph feels a lot more unique. He stands out to me. He is a master strategist. Like in his fight against Straizo, he attaches a grenade to Straizo´s scarf and when it was removed, like six more grenades which were attached to that one were uncapped. That scene always brings a smile to my face. Also, he has no concept of dignity whatsoever. He is out for himself and that is how he survives. However he really does care as shown when Caesar dies.Johnny Joestar [the one at the top] is probably among the most well developed characters I have ever seen. Over the course of the story he evolves from a complete douche, with no moral compass or sense of justice, into something better. The evolution is truly great, and I really like the circumstances and ways in which Johnny does this. He is not like other Joestars who at last have some sort of code, no, he is completely devoid of it, and starts out with not a shred of what his descendants would later carry. However as time progresses, he becomes kinder, he stops being such a horrible person to everyone around him and stops acting selfish, he slowly but surely grows into a kinder, better, character.17. Johan LiebertDo not be fooled by his appearance, Johan Liebert is a super genius. Though, he almost never existed. In fact he is the child the doctor saves in place of a mayor at the story´s beginning, though he later grows into a horrible mastermind. With a desire to be the only remaining person left on the Earth he evolves into a charismatic psychopath. He is one character I will never grow tired of watching. Because he sends chills down my spine. He´s a ruthless, yet very intriguing man.18. Rintarou OkabeSome of you may be familiar with a Japanese word called Chuunibyou, which you can translate to meaning as arrested development. Though a lot of characters due express this in their own way, Rintaro is the king of it. Rintaro claims he’s a genius mad scientist, but he’s barely an undergrad at a university in Akihabara! Despite that, he does show a unique sense of creativity and passion for science in the first season. As an expression of his obsessions, he would often resort to his personally created alter ego, Kyouma Houin, by using weird poses and speaking Japanese in a broken accent for humor (and giving his friends weird nicknames). But after sacrificing Kurisu at the end of season one in order to save Mayuri, much of Steins;Gate 0 has Rintaro suffering in angst due to those events. He hangs up his lab coat and takes his scientific studies more seriously. After he meets Hiyajo, Lenskin, and Amadeus, you see much of the pain he is in due to what he went through in the first series. Now remembering that there’s a future he has to save, he has to work past his grief in order to do so. What makes Rintaro number one on this list is the development he goes through between both seasons. As the main character, you see him at his highest and lowest. His time travel experiences and the consequences he bears because of them genuinely develops his character and the audience can feel what he’s feeling. The fact that he expresses so many emotions and motivations due to he has had to see is what makes him a great hero. Thanks to the performance of Mamoru Miyano, viewers can feel all aspects of his character. We can feel him as just normal Rintaro, his silliness as Kyouma, and his love and pain for both Mayuri and Kurisu. When you see his relationships with both young ladies, you may feel like he’s two timing, but deep down inside, he’s really not and shares a different kind of relationship to both of them. With Mayuri, she’s kind of the little sister he never had, while Kurisu is someone he can share his passion for science with on an equal level.19. Kiritsugu EmiyaKiritsugu Emiya is another tortured character. One who embodies the concept of Utilitarianism. One who is not afraid to do horrible acts if it means the greater can prosper. One who is not afraid to continually suffer mental and emotional agony if it means more people will survive. He goes into the Grail War with a fixed ideology, to win, and end all conflict. It is a grand dream that sometimes he questions, but still pushes on for. His wife, his closest subordinates, people all around are killed, and he is given no time to mourn just push forwards. When his backstory came out, I was just shocked. The pain he had to go through, his entire village turned into man slaying vampires out for blood, by his very own father. He kills his father and joins an assassin, witnessing even more horrible things. And again, for the good of the many, he is forced to kill his own mother figure and continue down a lonely, dreaded path. In the end, after so much trouble, his ideology, what he has been working to achieve, gets crushed, squashed like a bug from under him, and after that, he has to watch absolute carnage, and be able to do nothing about it, only save one child [Shiro].20. ThorfinnThorfinn is basically a kid at the beginning of the series. He is the youngest fighter in the Viking group and he was taken in by Askeladd after Askeladd killed his father. He is an extremely skilled fighter, and he goes on suicide missions in order to get chances to duel one-on-one with Askeladd. Thorfinn is a fascinating character for so many reasons. Watching him in battle is always a joy. He is quick and merciless despite being so young. Even some of the stronger characters in the show need to stay on guard if they are dueling him. Then there’s the intensity of his rage and love towards Askeladd. There’s no doubt that he despises the man for tricking his father, and yet it is clear that Thorfinn respects Askeladd. Not only does he respect Askeladd, but sees him as a substitute father. This allows Thorfinn to display an interesting emotional range. Finally, there is his pacifist nature that emerges after he becomes a slave. Overall, he is the star and he has the emotional arc to prove it.20. [tie] Musashi MiyamotoWhen he was young, Musashi was a very rebellious young man who wanted nothing more than to beat his father, the man who treated him harshly and made him suffer through many humiliations. As he grew older, he practiced his sword fighting, making him quite feared in the town where he lived. He wanted to be the most invincible man on earth. And for a while, it seemed that there was nothing that could stop him, as he looked for stronger and stronger opponents to the point that he self-handedly destroyed the Yoshioka clan. However, killing others is not what makes him a badass. Instead, what really makes him stand out over everyone else on this list, is that he understands that killing others was not the solution, that it was the same as killing part of his soul. While he still fights, as he also understands that once he started the path of the sword he can’t escape death and killing, he doesn’t fight without a reason and tries hard to stop fighting duels to death. This understanding of life, and the way in which he became a philosopher later in life –according to the Last Manga exhibition made by Inoue Takehiko- is what makes Miyamoto Musashi a true badass, and earns him the first place on our list.21. Light YagamiLight is an genius level protagonist. At the time, him and Lelouch changed the norm, revolutionized what a protagonist should be. But while Lelouch became an anti hero, Light evolved into a full fledged villain. His tale is so well written, as he starts as a truly noble person with good motivations. But as the story evolves he becomes more and more twisted, and he later just kills to satisfy his grand ego and the god complex he has developed. In the course of 37 episodes, the way he evolves so masterfully, succumbing to human sins as his god complex rises. Light is one of my top three anime antagonists without a doubt, and also one of my favorite protagonists as well.22. OnizukaOnizuka, is easily one of anime’s greatest teachers. He basically used to be this biker and legendary infamous gang member but leaves that life behind and decides to become a teacher [for the ladies because there is no better motivation], and then ends up inspiring the crap out of everyone. He will make you laugh a thousand times over, and then do something super great that will inspire you like no other. I just love Onizuka, he’s amazing.23. GriffithThe fingerprints of this guy are basically marked on every major event in the story. Griffith is one of the most brilliantly written antagonists in all of fiction. The way he contrasts with Guts is amazing. I mean, on the outside, Griffith is this seemingly angelic being, while on the inside he is inhuman, he traded his entire mercenary group in order to become the Femto, and uh, did some stuff to Casca and Guts. Meanwhile Guts, is this seemingly barbaric, savage, rogue when in reality he is better than a lot of people. Also, before the whole Femto thing, Griffith and Guts seemed to be best buds. But in truth this was not the case. Griffith stated someone who did not have their own ideology could never be his equal. This is directed towards Guts if you think about it because Guts until then was alone, but Griffith’s ideology changed him, Guts depended on this ideology. Until, uh, stuff happened. After that, Griffith, a member of the god hand, did many things. One of these, is once, he united humans and demons, that is how charming, charismatic, and deceptive Griffith is. He was able to do what is considered impossible. And throughout the story, in basically every major event, there is something connected to him. The story follows him as well. His crusades, his battles, his journeys, almost as much as Guts’s. Griffith is amazing and I cannot praise this guy enough.24. Erza ScarletDo not think I would make a favorite characters list without this chic. But she is more than one of the sexiest characters in all of fiction. She is a master fighter. Her backstory enhances her relationship with so many characters, especially Jellal, and her connection to Irene actually shocked me. She has so many epic moments too, like when she slices through the meteor, or when she takes on a hundred monsters at once. But beyond fighting, she is such a deep and emotional character on so many levels, and easily my favorite female character in anime.25. Eren JaegerWhat makes Eren so amazing is that he started off as our simple Shounen protagonist, with a seemingly inspirational determination. Back then, the story did seem like a simple Shounen, so what was wrong with being a protagonist like Asta, Izuku Midoriya and many others? The problem was that Eren's world was cruel. It was a more Seinen world, rather than a Shounen one. Eren's Shounen mentality just didn't fit in. It's almost like Eren's character is meant to be a criticism of the typical Shounen protagonist, conveying the flaws in this 'inspirational' mentality and showing that determination could not solve everything. We can see how Eren's mentality is driving him crazy as early as his first battle. After being eaten by a titan, he is confused as to why things didn't work out. Eren is incapable of understanding why he failed because in his mind, he didn't see failure as a possibility. Unlike the shounen worlds that Eren should belong in, the world of snk is cruel and much more realistic. After this, Eren is faced with the truth of his cruel world, time and time again and his shounen mentality constantly fails. We can outwardly see that this is driving him crazy, through his laughs and facial expressions. During the Female Titan arc, Eren learns to go with what he thinks is best. He blames the death of the Levi squad on the fact that he put his trust in them. In other words, he decides that it's best to always act on his own initiative. Despite being mentally scarred form his experiences, Eren moves on, learning from his experiences. At the time, these lessons seemed like undoubtedly good ones. However, the Uprising arc, when he becomes 'Edgy Eren', is evidence that Eren has an inner self, behind the angry and determined shounen characteristics. Eren starts to mentally break down when he starts to consider the idea that humanity could be in a better position if Grisha hadn't stolen the Founding Titan. For a moment, Eren starts for feel pain and guilt for allowing so many people to sacrifice their lives for him, since they saw a hope in him and, for once, judges their lives to be more valuable then the hopes and dreams he was pushing forward for. This is one of the only times we see a crack in his character, as well as an opportunity for us to understand that Eren is suffering inside, due to his inability to understand the world's cruelty. However, he manages to quickly cover up this crack and return to his old self. After this arc, Eren grows stronger in character, but doesn't abandon his determination. He accepts the fact that he and others will have to suffer in order for him to be able to keep pushing forward. This is why he pretty much accepts Armin's death and sacrifice during the Return to Shiganshina arc, until he sees Levi arrive with the serum. He clearly had a deep connection with Armin, since he is determined to keep Armin alive once he finds a way to. However, he was still able to easily accept his death. This arc shows us that Eren sees death as necessary when trying to achieve his ultimate goal of gaining freedom. However, it's after this arc that Isayama starts to convey how toxic Eren's urge to 'keep pushing forward' and destroy his enemy really is. The basement plot twist not only makes the world much more interesting and complex, but completely changes the context for Eren's determination. Eren's world somehow becomes one that he is even more out of place in, than it was before. The ocean scene is the first time we see how the context of Eren's words can make a difference. Eren has talked about his desire to 'kill them all' many times, but now he is suddenly talking about humans. During the Marley Arc, Eren shows us that, although he has matured over time and grown to understand that the world is cruel, he has maintained the core lessons he has learnt over the course of the series and developed them. He has no illogical hatred for the Eldians on Marley, the Warriors or the rest of the world. He is driven by a will for freedom, rather than hatred. He works on his own initiative - even if it means running off to to Marley by himself, forcing Paradis to go with him due to the risk of loosing the Founding Titan. He understands that some lives must be sacrificed to achieve freedom - even if those lives are the lives of innocent people. No matter what, he keeps pushing forward - even if he has to use innocent 12 year olds as pawns (poor Falco :c). Inside, Eren is conflicted and suffering because he still doesn't understand why the world has to be so cruel. However, he is able to suppress these emotions and get used to them in order to always continue to move on. I think Eren's reaction to Sasha's death shows that he still finds it hard to accept loosing his friends, but at the same time is trying to tell himself that death is necessary. It's like he can't stop himself from trying to push forward. His mind is conflicted and there are suppressed emotions. His will for freedom just seems to be the strongest, keeping everything else hidden. After stealing the Warhammer Titan, Eren must have millions of memories in his mind. These are probably increasing the doubt he has inside and causing a lot of conflict in his thoughts. We know from chapter 115 that he has been influenced by Grisha's memories, but these memories allowed him to understand and develop his own beliefs, using his own logic. I personally don't think that anyone gets completely mind controlled. I think all titan shifters just get influenced because the memories they receive are like new experiences. I could be wrong though. Some people believe that the reason why he's able to keep pushing forward, no matter what, is because of the Attack Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin), as Kruger said that it was the Titan that always moved towards freedom. The word 'Shingeki' can also be translated to 'advancing'. It basically implies a cumulative military attack. The reason it was translated to 'Attack on Titan' is probably because they were trying show that it was the Titan that will always 'Attack on'. Just translating it to 'Attack Titan' gives us a good name for the Titan but doesn't express the full meaning of the word. Therefore, I think we can infer that the main characteristic of the Attack Titan is that it keeps pushing forward. The problem with this theory is that Eren showed this determination, even before he got the Attack Titan. I don't think Eren gets all his determination from the Attack Titan. However, I do think that the Attack Titan is very important and has somehow always had a connection with Eren. As for the 'Mikasa I've always hated you' thing - I think most of the fandom have now agreed that Eren had a good reason to say that and was most likely trying to break Mikasa's Ackerbond. I have to admit, I was going crazy with anger when chapter 112 came out, as well. I think most of us have now cooled down after 6 months and, although we don't like that Eren said it to her, we know that he probably had understandable intentions. Most of us find Eren's mind confusing, but I think what Eren says to Falco in chapter 107 kind of gives us a hint. ( Of course, there's many ways you can interpret this. To me, it looks like Eren is what is pushing himself forward because he thinks it will allow him to achieve freedom. This will is stronger than any memories that may be influencing him. Even currently in the manga, I honestly don't think Eren is doing things because of anyone but himself. He is a slave to his own will to push forward, throwing away any emotions that urge him to do otherwise. He himself doesn't even know why he has such a strong will for freedom, or what freedom will really be like. He is as Isayama described him: 'a slave to the story'. Regardless of what you think Eren's motives are, I think we can all agree that Eren's character is an amazing one, on Isayama's part. Even if you hate him, his character development over time makes sense and is understandable. Making him start off as a typical Shounen protagonist was genius, as it helped us understand how cruel Eren's world was, as well as showed us that being determined doesn't always make you successful. The fact that Eren started off with this Shounen mentality is the reason why he ended up developing in the way he did and the reason why he ostensibly seemed like a villain when the context was suddenly changed. When you look more deeply, Eren does seem to be suffering and does seem to have hidden intentions but it's hard for us to decide whether of not these will justify his actions. No matter what you think of him, it's hard not to sympathise with him to an extent, as he is just a victim of his circumstances. Given Eren's starting character and the world he lives in, it's hard to expect him to have developed in any other way. Anyway, I've tried to make this as less opinionated as possible, but if you're wondering, I do dislike Eren. I just can't forgive him for attacking Liberio, especially when I don't actually know what his 'big plan' actually is. Besides, every villain is going to have some sad and depressing reason for their actions, and that doesn't make their actions justifiable, in my opinion. Even if Eren is the villain, I love him in the sense that I think he is one of the best crafted characters ever.26. HieiAnother Togashi character has arrived! In the main cast of his show, he was basically the Killua of the show. And he was probably the inspiration for Sasuke. He was badass, edgy, really strong, and more. However when needed he showed he was willing to help his friends. In battle he is ruthless, but otherwise he is a pretty chill dude. He is very enjoyable to witness, and his character his very well written, in comparison to Sasuke, who came later. For example, he forgives the ice women who abandoned him as a baby because they are hollow, they have seemingly no purpose, it would mean nothing but pointless empty bloodshed if he killed them. His development throughout the show is brilliant, and while his change to good may seem forced, everything else is amazing, from his personality to his moral evolution and progression.26 [tie]. MeruemI am hoping all of you knew a Hunter x Hunter villain would be on this list. Because one is. This was a hard choice between Hisoka and Chrollo, in fact I like Hisoka more, but I think as a villain Meruem is the best. Now, at first, Meruem was at the bottom of the top three but I re-watched a couple episodes and decided Meruem is my number one. This does not have to be your number one though. But now that I have him at number one, I better explain. So, the builduo for this guy was phenomenal. I was biting my lip waiting, when is the king going to appear, when is the king going to appear. And when he did, boy did he make an entrance. He burst out of his mother to early, and then beheaded two ant squadron leaders who dared to step near him. He truly was a monster. And from then on, he continued doing horrible acts. He killed children, people of his own race, all sorts of things. He was the king. He had the power to do what he wanted. To him, humans were like cattle. After he killed a few kids he proceeded to kill anime Kim Jong Un, and to pass the time before an event in which he would take over the country and kill it’s people, he decides to play games with the best of each particular game. He proceeds to face and kill all whom he plays, until he meets a young girl named Komugi. This is where his development starts. As they continue to play Meruem becomes more and more fascinated with Komugi, he starts changing a little. And when she asks for his name, he does not know what to say. He is referred to as king, but in truth he does not know what his name is. And furiously, confronted with something he cannot solve, or something he does not know, he seeks to kill Komugi. Establish his power, show her that no matter how good she is at Gungi, she is still a lowly life form to him with no right to question him. His ego tries to cover up the psychological prodding being unknowingly dealt to him by Komugi, as he comes to the conclusion brute strength is the most powerful force. But when he sees her attacked by a bird, he kills the bird, and saves her. He treats her kindly, refers to her as an honored guest. And then, when the palace is attacked, he goes to fight Netero. And instead of fighting him, he decides to sit down. It is shocking. He says he does not want to fight and that he is willing to spare Netero. I was so surprised, normally I would have expected him to be ready to fight. God dammit, he is Cell 2.0. But he does not want to fight like all those dragon ball villains. But another reason this is shocking is because not long ago this same guy killed little kids, slaughtered whoever he pleased, was constantly looking to test his strength. And yet now, he is respecting someone? The only reason Meruem agrees to fight is to know his name, and after that god tier battle, because of a trick card, Meruem nearly dies. But he does not. He is actually saved by two of his royal guards, Menthuthuyoupi and Shaiapouf. But he does not remember anything about Komugi. So he returns to his palace, the former monster he was. And not only that, but he is much stronger now, and Pouf, and Youpi, want to keep him from remembering, because they fear Komugi is a hindrance. However upon seeing some Gungi pieces, and hearing the words of another Chimera Ant, something within him is triggered and he remembers Komugi. He also figures out the bomb Netero used at the end of the fight contained poison, and so decides to find Komugi and play in their last moments. He find Ikalgo, and Palm, [two good guys], and yet again very surprisingly, bows down and begs. I was surprised enough, but this is shocking. I mean, Meruem had developed so much over the course of like 36 episodes! And then he played with Komugi until their deaths.So Meruem was a shonen villain, not brought down by the protagonist [he never even meets Gon], but by his own humanity. He struggles between human and monster beautifully, and eventually succumbs to the human inside of him, while our protagonist devolves throughout the story.27. VegetaThe prince of Saiyans himself. Now Goku is a fan favorite, but the problem with him I feel, is that he is only concerned about fighting. Not about anything else, not even his own children. So it says a lot when a formal asshole like Vegeta who blew up planets, is a better dad then Goku is. Vegeta develops throughout the story. From a full blown villain, to an anti-villain, to an anti-hero, to finally a hero. He is a lot more realistic than Goku is, because while the prideful bastard of course wants to fight, it´s in his blood after all, he also grows to care and cherish his family, and was about to skip out on a universe deciding tournament for the sake of family.28. Roronoa ZoroBad ass, that is the only way to sum this character up in one word. I know I have been calling most characters on this list bad ass, but he is the embodiment of the word. Cool Scars, three swords, slick green hair, what more could you want? His motivation for becoming the world´s greatest swordsman are simple, to honor a dead friend, but powerful. He seeks to become powerful like her, and so he joins the Straw Hats and evolves into one of the most greatest swordsmen out there. He is always there for his friends and Luffy, as seen when he takes all of Luffy´s pain and says ¨nothing happened here, nothing at all.¨29. RiderThere are very few who are manlier and more courageous that the king of conquerors. His philosophies and views make him. He knows he is insignificant yet he does not care. He dreams of seeing the ocean and nothing can stop him. He has no regrets, no hesitation, he strides proudly with honor. His words spark words in the hearts of his men, and his connection with them allows him to forge on. Rider is fantastic, who seems like a boisterous, loudmouthed muscle-head at first, but is actually an inspiring, brave, and powerful fighter that anyone could respect.30. KaminaHow does one describe this man. The shirtless wonder, the sword swinging badass. The manliest of men with one of the coolest hairdos and glasses ever. He is there for literally 8 episodes, yet his name echoes throughout Gurren Lagan´s history. His sacrifice is still fresh in my mind and me and so many of my friends literally cry when we see this scene, because of how much of a shock this amazing character’s death was. He is an inspiration, a motivator with a powerful dream and boundless courage and charisma.31. Soma YukihiraYou surprised this young diner chef is on this list? Well, he is a master in the kitchen. He seems like he is a novice chef, who does not know much. But boy are you wrong. He has been in the kitchen since he was 3. This boy is proof you do not have to be from some high end, posh, restaurant to be a culinary master. His passion and drive is infectious, and he is always adapting also going forwards and expanding his horizons in order to reach the top of the culinary world and beat his dad. He is the embodiment of the shounen protagonist formula except applied into cooking, and every time he manages to impress and astound with his unique and creative dishes.31 [tie]. Takamura MamoruI like Takamura Mamoru because he's the craziest, hilarious, and most random acting character in the series. He's from a wealthy family but would rather live off his earnings instead. Trying to get titles in 6 weight classes, and has two so far. Perfect 23-0 record. On the outside he's cocky and demeaning, but on the inside he's cares for his nakama and has ambition. He's the strongest of the boxers so far in the series and the gold standard. I mean he literally KOed a bear! He’s a just wildly entertaining and gripping character who has a lot of drive and passion for boxing, and cares a lot for his friends, an infectious nature you can’t help but love.32. Kisuke Uraharabetween Kisuke, Ichigo, and Toshiro, I was struggling, but in the end Kisuke is my favorite Bleach character. When you meet him he is this mysterious cool figure who is pretty funny. But as time goes on we get to see more and more about him. His past, who he was, everything is revealed. And it adds an extra layer to this already charismatic genius. He becomes more entertaining than the protagonist to me, and episodes 206–212 which focus on him are some of my favorites in anime history.33. Shigo MakishimaShogo Makishima, is a charismatic genius. Out of all the villains to come out of Psycho Pass, none come close to Makishima. You see, his goal is actually to free, liberate humanity from the rules of the society they live on. He believes it is human nature to be free, to be wicked, and so he seeks to change the corrupt society he lives in. And to reach this goal, he commits many horrible atrocities, and kills many. But since he retains his composure perfectly… his Psycho Pass number stays the same no matter what he does, and he is not labelled as a criminal. Many different philosophies and deep themes, are rolled into this charismatic, enigmatic, and thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining villain.34. Homura AkemiHomura Akemi is the first magical girl we met in the series, and she is the opposite of everything a magical girl should be. She is serious, methodical, wants Madoka and Sayaka to stay away from Kyuubey and attempts to kill Kyuubey in her first appearance. In short, we are led to believe she is the antagonist of the series, someone more dangerous than the witches themselves. But as everything in Puella Magi Madoka Magica, this is not exactly true. After spending most of her life in the hospital, due to a heart condition, she used to see herself as useless. It was not until she met Madoka when she started to think she could be worth something. It’s not surprising that her wish is basically to save Madoka. However, in the process of fulfilling that wish, she became colder. She saw Madoka die at least a hundred times; She saw herself fail a hundred times. Even at the end, she had to see Madoka sacrifice herself for every single Magical Girl in existence. No matter how hard she tried, Homura was never able to save her first friend. And that is why she is without a doubt the most tragic character in Puella Magi Madoka Magica.But then the movie came along and made me lover her character even more. Because then, she takes Madoka from heaven, and succumbs to her darkness, essentially becoming a demon, which was a twist no one expected, yet only heightened her character.35. EscanorEscanor is a one note character? I am afraid I have to disagree. This man is probably the best flexer in all of fiction. He’s a complete bad ass. And he has a lot of pride. After all, he is called the Lion’s Sin of Pride for a reason. He’s a character who is a weak, yet friendly man in the night, however when day hits he grows into a massive, musclebound arrogant man who believes himself to be the greatest of all creatures. There’s a deeper meaning to this though. He’s a character that shares two personalities that fluctuate on accordance to whether he has power or not. He’s a man with a tragic backstory, who found two different ways to overcome the curse he had. One, his day form, was to cut off all other emotions and rely only on himself. After all, he was certainly powerful enough, and he only needed himself. This strategy is one of the ways to overcome grief, to expand your ego in order to stabilize. But at night he’s insecure. he does not have great power any more. He relies on friends to help him get through his pain. He is dependent of his friends in this vulnerable state. This fluctuation is what makes Escanor such an incredible character. His arrogance and massive pride is just plain fun to watch. He constantly flexes on everyone. He makes his opponents apologize that they were born into his world, he makes them apologize for fricking, being born! One of his quotes [as seen above] is him saying “why should I bear any hatred towards those weaker then myself, I only pity them”. And the thing is, he believes that. He believes he truly is the pinnacle of all beings, of all creation. If this man isn’t arrogance, I do not know what is.36. Roy MustangRoy Mustang is an exceptional secondary protagonist. You see, Roy has an amazing character arc, where he goes through the depths of vengeance and fury in order to avenge his lost friend. His growth as a character as he devolves into hatred and anger is simply outstanding. But that’s not all that makes him compelling. His ambition is another part of it too. He seeks to repent for the crimes he committed during the Ishvalan Civil War [which, makes him an even more interesting character as well] by letting himself be executed and to pay back the lives of all that he killed. He’s a confident, determined man who’s fiery passion and nature makes him great.36 [tie]. Gyro ZeppeliGyro is a badass. He serves so many roles in Johnny´s life and without him our MC would not be who he is today. Gyro serves as a mentor, a friend, and many more things perfectly. His backstory, motivation, just all around coolness. He´s cocky and not afraid to fire insults, but also has an altrustic side to him and has shown to be a kind person. However he is also an executioner, and his motive for winning the race is tied to that profession, however contrary to what you would think…he wants to save someone he was assigned to kill not kill them, and this drive to protect Marco is truly admirable. Without Gyro, Johnny would honestly never have achieved his dream.37. Yoshikage KiraMy name is Yoshikage Kira. I'm 33 years old. My house is in the northeast section of Morioh, where all the villas are, and I am not married. I work as an employee for the Kame Yu department stores, and I get home every day by 8 PM at the latest. I don't smoke, but I occasionally drink. I'm in bed by 11 PM, and make sure I get eight hours of sleep, no matter what. After having a glass of warm milk and doing about twenty minutes of stretches before going to bed, I usually have no problems sleeping until morning. Just like a baby, I wake up without any fatigue or stress in the morning. I was told there were no issues at my last check-up. I'm trying to explain that I'm a person who wishes to live a very quiet life. I take care not to trouble myself with any enemies, like winning and losing, that would cause me to lose sleep at night. That is how I deal with society, and I know that is what brings me happiness. Although, if I were to fight I wouldn't lose to anyone.This is Yoshikage Kira, the most interesting of the Jojo villains we have witnessed so far. As you can see above, he is a very meticulous person, and seems oddly normal. In fact that is what he strives for. He seeks to love a nice, quiet life, and will do anything to achieve that goal. Unlike so many other villains, he does not want to rule over the world, he is not some god level threat. He is just a human being who wants to do what he wants to do. Too bad that “what he wants to do” involves him blowing up women and stealing their hands, yeah, I know. But ignoring that fact you think about, in every society there is someone who would do anything to live a quiet, calm life. And if that is threatened, they, like Killer Queen and it’s user Kira, will do anything to preserve that life. You see, not everyone is a super genius, vampire like DIO is, more people want nothing more than to live peacefully, and meticulously like Kira. Kira represents that bomb in society, a force who wants to remain hidden, but when triggered or provoked, he explodes.37. [tie] BondrewdBondrewd is a unique and terrifying antagonist, one of the three legendary White Whistles, the Lord of Dawn. His goal is progress. And he will do anything to achieve it. Sacrifice even children. Do detestable things that completely shatter ethics and human decency. You would think he was an emotionless, ruthless character. But no, Bondrewd is not. In fact he is something else entirely. Every child he takes into his care. He remembers. He truly loves all of them. However in the end they are nothing but pawns in his grand desire for progress at all costs. They are pawns he loves and remembers, but pawns nonetheless. Another example is his daughter Prushka. He loves her and treats her with the utmost care, in fact, he gives her another reason to move on in life. He embraces her like a kind and loving father when she was nothing more than a deformed sickly child, and he raises her. So when Reg and Riko arrive at Idofront, she only has kind words to speak of him. But then there's his assistant Nanachi. who despises him. Because his experiment maimed and deformed her friend, Mitty. And after the horrible events that happen to them due to his experimentation, he is only happy and intrigued. He doesn’t care about the effects because it helps him further his dream, which is his number one desire. Bondrewd loves the children in his care, but they are all secondary to his desire for progress and thirst for knowledge at all costs. He is a balance between a caring father figure, and a logical, cold, villain. And Prushka and Nanachi are two recipients, one of either side. And eventually, Prushka too becomes sacrificed. Every step Bondrewd takes towards progress, he loses something or someone. Eventually he sacrifices his bodies, and his mind, and so on. His goal of absolute knowledge comes first. And well that ties in to the core themes of the story. To push on forward to achieve your goals, despite what you have to do to obtain it. He is a dark embodiment of that theme. And Riko is the opposite. She is determined to find her mom, but, she will not sacrifice the people she loves for this goal. Unlike Bondrewd, who was willing to throw everything away. She did not. No matter what, she struggled on. Bondrewd is a perfect contrast to her, and that is one of the reasons he is an amazing antagonist. At the end, when he was defeated, he simply praised Nanachi and told her he was happy she could achieve her goal. In this moment he is the father. Accepting his loss, and deciding to embrace what he threw away after his dream was setback. Bondrewd is a complex villain with two sides to him which mix together perfectly. Creating an antagonist who contrasts Riko beautifully. He is a dark embodiment of the story's themes. Someone who was willing to throw away everything to achieve his goal.38. GarouWhen it comes to badasses, there are few who kick ass better than this guy. The human monster himself, Garou from One Punch Man is ninth on my list. The thing about Garou, is he is so compassionate. If you think about it, many of the villains, like Vaccine man, are not all bad. Vaccine man, is trying to save the Earth but he is killed by Saitama. Garou felt bad for these kinds of people. And as a child, was harassed and forced to be the monster in games. This allowed him to deepen his perspective, and when he grew up he decided to take down heroes. However despite claiming he is, he is far from a monster, in fact he might be the most human character, which is quite ironic. He also is not devoid of empathy or sympathy, as not once does he actually kill a hero. He simply seeks to be stronger than them. Also, he protects a little kid in the second season, and becomes his friend. He does not harm him in anyway and actually protects him. I think Garou deserves a lot more credit, because he is just awesome, and keeps on getting stronger with every battle.39. IzayaThere really is no other candidate for the top place here. As one of my favourite characters in fiction, Izaya’s position as an antagonist is as complex as it is mysterious. Much like Little Finger from Game of Thrones, Izaya’s motivations are always unclear, yet most conflicts can be traced back to him. Dancing around the streets of Ikebukuro, Izaya has very few fears and always seems to be in control, even when being attacked by Shizuo, the strongest man in the city. There’s something inherently cool about winning and Izaya’s streak never seems to end. With little investments in his own plots, he’s just as happy watching them fail as watching them succeed. It’s such an odd dynamic that even parts of Durarara!!X2 where he’s bleeding on the streets aren’t considered a defeat, as Izaya’s reaction puts everything back towards him.40. AskeladdAskeladd is the leader of the group of Vikings that the manga initially follows. He is extremely tactical and knows exactly how to turn the tide of any situation. Time after time, he positions himself and his band towards victory. Even when he seems utterly defeated he is generally able to pull out one last trick in order to get what he wants. We see this most clearly when he is able to subdue Thors by using Thorfinn as a hostage. Though Askeladd can seem quite heartless, his mission and goals are pure, and so he becomes a character where you find yourself letting his underhanded tactics slide. It’s also pretty hard to hate the man when you realize how paternal he is towards Thorfinn. His relationship to Thorfinn is complicated, but it is clear that they love and respect one another. Oh, [SPOILER] he also sacrifices himself for his cause. So if you were ever on the fence about the guy, you realize then and there that he never made anyone do anything he wouldn’t do.41. HoloHolo is a blast to watch. She’s charismatic, funny, inspiring, and caring. Throughout the series her romance with Lawrence is incredible and heartwarming, and she is just such a beautiful and great character who goes so well together with Lawrence and is so unique and quirky that its impossible for me to not put her in my top 50.41 [tie]. Oshino ShinobuOshino Shinobu, aka Kiss-shot Acerola-orion Heart-under-blade is my favorite character of the Monogatari series. Now before someone calls the FBI on me, let me explain. Oshino here just so happens to be a 400 year old vampire. And she has an adult form, which looks like this:Okay, so now that we have got that cleared let me explain why I like her. She appears to be cute and innocent at first glance, however she has a brutal side. She used to be a human princess named Rola, but was cursed into causing anyone around her to commit suicide. She has a complex relationship with Araragi, and cares a lot about him. She also has a cute obsession with doughnuts that I really like and consider funny.42. Yusuke UrameshiYusuke… is amazing. He’s dumb and has a lot of classic shonen elements, however he’s probably the first shonen delinquent to appear. He’s a fourteen-year-old boy with an alcoholic mother, a father that abandoned him, teachers that actively hate him, and no direction in life... that doesn't sound like a typical protagonist for a story. In fact, it sounds like the makings of a man who has good reason to hate the world and could likely take out his frustration on others. Well this teenager, Yusuke Urameshi, is a complicated individual that has a rich life that we get to see unfold in Yu Yu Hakusho. He starts off as a brat who enjoys getting into fights, he struggles with countless obstacles and failures, but in the end, he comes out a much stronger person with a profound sense of who he is and what he wants out of life. Though this story contains reapers, demons, and monsters, you'll find that Yusuke is actually a very grounded character who isn't overly intellectual or focused on ethics. For those reasons, he is extremely relatable and we become sympathetic to his trials and tribulations early on. Let's go over a few reasons why Yusuke stands out among the countless other main characters from manga and anime. When he returns to life, he is forced to work as a Spirit Detective. He slowly builds a team around him of foes turned allies through mutual respect. Each of those members helps him see a side of himself that he refused to acknowledge before his death. Genkai is one of the people he meets and eventually forms a bond with. She becomes his mentor, martial arts teacher, and something much more valuable. She pushes him to his absolute limits and beyond. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, Yusuke needed someone who wouldn't put up with his B.S. and would force him to face his shortcomings. Genkai didn't do this because she wanted a strong pupil. She did it because she genuinely saw something admirable and special underneath all of those layers of doubt, apathy, and fear. She knew someone similar to him in her younger years, and she wanted to make sure he didn't turn at the same as that person. Before meeting Genkai, Yusuke never dedicated himself to anything and relied on his innate fighting ability to solve every problem. She pounded it into Yusuke's head that life and experience didn't culminate in strength. Power is temporary because life is short and filled with pitfalls you'll never see coming. There is something more to life. Something that each person has to discover on their own. Once they do, they have to dedicate their life to embodying that value. Anything short of that is a wasted life. Yusuke found out the hard way that peeling away self-imposed layers of fear and resentment is the second hardest thing to do in life. The most difficult thing is to see your efforts come up short time and time again, but summon up the strength to stand up and try again. These are very real lessons and philosophies that people deal with on a daily basis. For as much as we saw Yusuke grow as a fighter and a man throughout the first half of the show, we also got to see what could have happened if Yusuke never grew out of his selfish and egotistical behavior. Toguro embodied the exact opposite of what the adolescent boy was fighting for. Power, greed, fear, solitude, and, ultimately, release from this world are what the one-time champion of the Dark Tournament epitomized. This man loved Genkai in his younger years. But, he became too fixated on power. He shunned away from the responsibility of protecting others and dealing with mortality. Those tenants of life scared him and instead of facing his shortcomings, he made a wish for power and refused to acknowledge that there were things outside of his control. Genkai refused to let Yusuke fall prey to the same decisions.43. MeliodasThe former captain of the 10 commandments and now the seven deadly sins, I cannot love Meliodas enough. Like Ban and Escanor, Meliodas is a truly tortured character. One who like 3000 years prior to the main story, used to be a heartless slayer of angels and goddesses. However he fell in love with one. Named Elizabeth. Together they tried to bring peace and end the Holy War, but the Supreme Deity and the Demon King, the leaders of the two clans they belong too and their parents, curse them. From then on, Meliodas is immortal and every time he dies he goes to Purgatory [the worst place ever] and has some of emotions trapped in there, but what’s even worse is that Elizabeth constantly dies, only to be brought back again with no memory of who Meliodas is. And so Meliodas is forced to watch his beloved die over and over again, and his main goal is to end their curse [which would mean the death of Meliodas]. So in the beginning, when he seems like this nice chill guy, that is not true, inside he is tortured like no other and it is truly tragic.44. GreedLingThis may be consider cheating, but I am including GreedLing, the fusion of characters Greed and Ling on this list. Why? Because they feel like the perfect synchronization, the perfect character. Ling and Greed both embodied the sin of Greed, and had much ambition, however, they really helped each other develop as characters. Its thanks to Ling that Greed became more human, he realized the true meaning of bonds, and its thanks to Greed that Ling was able to become the person he was at the conclusion of the story. They compliment each other and the way their personalities originally contrast but then mesh together and help the other grow is genius. Its like Venom [from Marvel], but even better.44. [tie] GaaraGaara was initially an antagonist in the Naruto series but became a hero. Gaara is the son of the village’s leader, the Fourth Kazekage. The shinobi was born as a demon host in order for his father to create weapons to restore the village of Sunagakure. At the start of the series Gaara is a villain. This is because he was unable to control the Tailed Beast that possessed him and because he was ostracized by the villagers. However, once Gaara meets Naruto, he is changed by Naruto´s determination, and inspired by the path he took to escape the darkness. So he becomes the Fifth Kazekage and protects the village who once treated him like trash.45. ArcherTowards the end, Archer is revealed to be Emiya from the future. After going through the journey of life, Emiya felt betrayed by his own ideals of helping as many people as he can. No matter how much Amiya strived not to, he will always have to sacrifice someone for the greater good. Jaded to the point of denial, Emiya entered this Holy Grail War to kill his original self such that he will not exist and thus, won't be betrayed by his own ideals. With the mastery of his Projection magic, Emiya turned out to be the powerful character he aspired to be in order to save others. Unfortunately, Emiya soon realised that this wasn't what he wished for in the beginning. The future Emiya is a pained individual who has tolerated most of his betrayed ideals up to this point in time. To be betrayed by others is one thing. Determination and perserverance will pull you through. To feel betrayed by yourself however is a whole new level as, what else can you believe in if even you yourself feels dejected? Despite all this however, there are moments in which Archer had plenty of opportunity to kill off his old self but he chose not to. Secretly, it could be due to the fact that Emiya still believes in his ideals and does not want to give up. That is why Archer could very well be the servant who seeks the biggest and highest purpose - self identity to better promote the world and to protect what is dear to him.46. HisokaHisoka is a unique character, one that can also be described as “unpredictable”. You see he has a sexual desire, a very peculiar one.. but if you think about it, sexual desires are not things you can really control, and the only way for him to quench this desire is through fighting. And these desires, his need to fulfill them takes him all around, and he can appear in the most random places, but it makes sense….because he’s goes wherever there is a strong opponent. But lastly, he’s also compelling because of his tenacity. He is not a character with much brute force, no he wins through psychological manipulation, deception, and complex applications of what seems to at first be a limited and one note skill.46. [tie] GankatsuoGiven how this anime was inspired by one of the greatest revenge tales ever put to fiction, you can imagine there would a slight vengeful element to it. Originally just an ordinary man named Edmond Dantes, he suffers a terrible betrayal and is imprisoned on false charges. In order to get back at those who wronged him, Dantes made a deal with a literal devil. Now possessed by the creature known as Gankutsuou, the suave yet malicious Count takes revenge on all those who wronged him.47. MirioThis might come off as strange, but Mirio is my favorite character in My Hero Academia despite getting only a single arc to shine. He’s a true underdog in my opinion. He isn’t a wimp [no offense Deku] at all, and despite being born with an average, decent quirk, he managed to push it to its full greatness without the help off any power boosts. Unlike Deku, who yes, may have been quirkless, but ended up receiving One For All [aka the most if not among the most powerful quirk]. He is a ray of sunshine of brightness, who tries his best to save people, and is just genuinely kind and funny. He embodies what a hero should be, and he takes everything positively and tries to bring a smile to everyone’s faces. Its because of this he earns such a high ranking in my book, and why I feel Mirio is the greatest of all MHA characters currently.47. [tie] BakuraThough portrayed as the real true antagonist of the series, Yami Bakura has reason for his actions and hatred toward Atem. He is the fusion of the souls of Zorc Necrophades and Bandit King Bakura, and there are elements in the latter that may have caused Yami Bakura's personality to be the cold and crisp indifference as seen in the manga and anime. For one, in ancient Egypt, Bandit King Bakura was the only survivor of his village, Kul Elna. Everyone, even his family, was sacrificed to create the Millennium items. Now, taking into account his soul was combined with Zorc's, what the present day (when the series begins) is left with is a shattered individual with the mind of a dark adversary. Imagine this: your family and friends had all been killed for some powerful items, and later on you were fused with darkness that (at least to Bakura at the time) could possibly help you seek revenge on those connected to the ringleader of the tragedy. Yami Bakura harnesses the power of the Millennium Ring, using it to ensure nobody messes with him, period. This curt attitude, along with his sarcastic yet comedic remarks, is what makes him an interesting character.48. Trafalgar D Law and SanjiThese two in my opinion have the two saddest backstories in all of One Piece. Law has had to endure the loss of everyone he knew, and had to hide in piles of corpses. And that’s not all, he suffered even more and more after that. However despite this he’s still survives and lives on. His banter with the Straw Hats, his overall coolness and character design, his tragic backstory, his relationship with Corazon, and many other attributes contribute to Law being a great character.Sanji also had a tragic backstory of his own. He was born weak in comparison to his siblings and treated like trash by his family. After his mother died he was all alone, and was constantly picked on. In fact, he had to sleep in a dungeon and cried, pleaded to his father to get him out of the jail cell. Only his sister felt bad for him and every night she would come to the dungeon and feed Sanji some food. So one day, his sister helped Sanji escape and he did. However, the ship he was on crashed with another ship and he had to live on an island, with a man named Zeff. Zeff gave him one bag, and Sanji got another, which had rotting food. After like a week, Sanji comes to steal Zeff’s food, however, he learns there was no food, and that Zeff ate his own leg. Once they were rescued together they form a restaurant called Baratie, and Sanji finally finds happiness. And then he joins the Straw Hats, who become an irreplaceable family for him. So sure, Sanji’s a perv, but he’s also a great character and a great cook who cares a lot for the Straw Hats.49. Shichika and TogameThese two are my favorite anime couple hands down, and they are great characters individually as well. Shichika starts out as a dumb, basic protagonist who just wants to fight. But he is really so much more. As time goes on, he is challenged as a human, and as a sword. He grows with each battle, learning new techniques, but also gaining emotional lessons. But what really makes me love him, is how he is at the end. At the very end of the story after the [spoiler] death of Togame. He goes all out and breaks the swords they took so long to gather. He forges his own path, he no longer serves anyone. Now without Togame he is alone, yet also free, without orders. This change, from a basic, obedient sword, to a complex, individual human is incredible. And then there is also Togame. Togame is a character with a painful past. You see, Shichika´s father killed hers, and she wants to obtain revenge. However she starts to change. She begins to love and care for Shichika and struggles between her two sides. The side which is full of emotion, and the logical, strategical side which she had before meeting Shichika. In the end, she loses her life, preventing her from making a heartbreaking choice. Both of them grow and start to love one another and the story progresses and they change from who they were at the story´s beginning.50. AizenThis guy is the ultimate strategist. A charismatic mastermind who fooled everyone in the most entertaining way possible, Aizen has to be on this list. He planned everything from our MC’s mom and dad getting together, and them having a baby. My god that is some planning. And with his abilities, including Hougyokou, he seemed basically unstoppable. The only real reason he lost, is because deep down, in his heart of hearts, he wanted too. He had reached the point he wanted, and was battling the pinnacle of power, of creation, that he created. But, the thing is, there was nothing beyond that. He had waited so long but in the end, he did not really want to win. He saw nothing past that victory, and while his mind told him to get that victory, his heart told him otherwise, it was just not wanting to truly pass that last hurdle, and so realizing this the Hougyokou granted his desire and he was defeated. Aizen is an overpowered, charismatic, fantastically written villain, that in all of Bleach’s extremely long run, has never been surpassed.50 [tie] Sora and Shiro:Sora and Shiro are an unstoppable team. Their dynamic with one another is great, and together in any game they are always the champions. The way they flex on all their opponents and create brilliant strategies is always fun to watch and is really enjoyable. Their plans are always incredibly creative and demonstrate incredible ingenuity that is amazing. They truly stand out among isekai protagonists for their brainpower and relationship with one another.I know this was a lot more than 20, but for those of you who read this, thank you!Here are some honorable mentions:Spike SpiegelSimon the DiggerGiovanniKatsuraVash the StampedeAlucardOikawaDazaiMereleona VermillionYami SukheiroKaibaRevyKaiki DeshuuAkashi SeijuroAomine DaikiAkisame SenseiLaxusToa TokuchiSasaki KojiroShikamaruYatoKenshin HimuraTodorokiEndeavorSesshomaruOkita SougouToshiro HitsugayaToshiro HijikataKurisu MakiseKenpachi ZarakiZerefErwin SmithKurapikaKurama [not the Naruto one]Shinobu SensuiScarEstarossa/MaelJotaroDIOSon GohanDeath the KidFeel free to check out Anime discussions. for more awesome anime content!

What atrocities were committed by the army during Operation Blue Star on the Sikhs apart from raiding their Golden Temple?

Indian Army’s attack on Darbar Sahib: the Untold Story (Dr Harjinder Singh Dilgeer)Part 1Why did Indira Gandhi attack Darbar Sahib ?The BackgroundAlthough Indira Gandhi had re-captured power from the Janta Party Alliance and had become P.M. again on the 14th of January 1980, but she knew that she had won those elections due to negative votes cast by voters against the Janta Party’s infighting; and, now, she had no new agenda for the next elections and about half of the term of Lok Sabha had passed, so she began thinking over several fronts; first she deliberated upon using the Tamil issue (in Sri Lanka) but it would not have yielded her much gains because it would have affected only Tamil or at the most Dravid votes, most of which were already with her, especially when the B.J.P. was her main opposition the South would support her because of its (South’s) clash with north on the issue of language and culture. Hence, to capture a high chunk of north Indian votes she (Indira Gandhi) needed to show something startling; hence she decided to use the Sikh card; and, for this purpose, she had to outstrip the B.J.P. and other fundamentalist and fanatic Hindu organisations to ensure the Hindus that ‘only the Congress can safeguard the interests of the Hindus’; this she could have achieved only by first establishing the Sikhs as ‘enemies of the Hindus as well as India’ and then by crushing them with all might.With all this in her mind, Indira Gandhi decided to use the Indian Army, the R.A.W. (the Indian intelligence network), the I.B. (Intelligence Bureau) and all the media for an all out attack on the Sikhs.Under this move Indira Gandhi decided to attack on the very heart of Sikhism i.e. Darbar Sahib Amritsar; she wanted to teach the Sikhs such a lesson that, what to talk of demanding their rights, they should never be able to raise their heads as honourable people; it included mass killings, desecration of their shrines, destruction of their archives, libraries and museums, their history and heritage; to create a permanent physical, social and psychological awe in their minds to make them realise that they had no pride, no civic, religious or human rights; and they were slaves and third rate beings (not humans).Preparing Ground for invasionTo execute this agenda, Indira Gandhi decided to first create hatred in the mind of the Hindus in order to get their full-fledged support for herself and for her actions as well as disdain for the Sikhs; hence she had to present the Sikhs as criminals, killers of the Hindus, fanatics, fundamentalists and ferocious persons; and, on the other hand, to present the Hindus, especially of the Punjab as innocent people and peaceful citizens and victims of terrorism. To achieve this agenda she had to unite all the Hindu fanatics under one umbrella and one slogan: ‘hate the Sikhs, they are traitors, they are enemies of the Hindus, they are danger to the sovereignty of the country.’Indira’s next move was to use all the media, Indian as well as foreign, by provoking or/and by bribing them, through national and international political manoeuvring and even through commercial publicity agencies; and it was a part of her strategy that the Sikhs should not be able to get international support or sympathy and they should rather be presented as ‘Sikh terrorists’ and not militants or Khalistanis or freedom fighters, or victims of state terrorism. She sent missions, she financed journalists and news agencies, she held dinner parties to the media folk and sent precious gifts to writers, journalists and press correspondents; and, through her own official and national media she launched an all out war against the Sikhs.The next move was to create differences and dissension, conflict and rebellion among the Sikh organisations so that they should point out their guns towards each other; this could have been doubly useful: firstly, a civil war among the Sikhs leading to destruction or at least major losses and a state of standstill in their struggle; and, secondly it would become an excuse to pounce upon them in many a way.At home front Indira Gandhi did not fully trust the R.A.W and/or the I.B., hence she created a new agency under the code name Third Agency; she herself was the in charge of this ‘Agency’; her son Rajiv Gandhi and Arun Nehru were her main advisors;[1] all the plan regarding the Punjab had been chalked out and executed by this Third Agency;[2]it had three main objectives: (1) to clinch the Hindu votes in the rest of the country by giving the Sikh community a punch on the nose; (2) to take the wind out of the Opposition’s sail by doing exactly what they had been saying the Government should do: ‘attack Darbar Sahib’; (3) to test the efficiency of a Third Intelligence Agency camouflaged by a blundering R.A.W. and inefficient I.B.[3] According to Surya, three things prove the total involvement of the Government and its intelligence network in the Punjab operation: (1) all the senior intelligence officers serving in the Punjab, Rajasthan, J & K sector during the Akali agitation have either been promoted, recommended for a police medal or sent abroad; (2) most of the arms that were found in the Darbar Sahib, in 1984, had been smuggled into the country through Rajasthan under the actual supervision and/or connivance of a RAW officer; (3) S.K. Tripathi, in charge of RAW at Amritsar, from mid 1982 to the 3rd of May 1984, had sent a coded telegram to Delhi with details of an impending attack on more than 40 railway stations in the Punjab – and the Government chose nothing to do about it. Surya asserts that the ‘Third Agency’ was formed only to aid the Congress Party (Indira Gandhi) in its election campaign[4] (to use the Sikh card).“The Third Agency had its office at Bikaner House, Shahjahan Road, New Delhi; to camouflage it a Board bearing the nomenclature ‘Cabinet Secretariat (Security) was hung at the gate of its office. This ‘Agency’ was masterminded by R.N. Kao (Chief Security Advisor to Indira Gandhi); other important organisers included: N.F. Santook (former chief of the RAW), G.C. Saxena (later chief of RAW), and R. Shankaran Nair (Director P.M.’s Secretariat) etc.”[5] H. S. Kriplani (a RAW man) who was expert in planning secret murders, was made in charge of the Punjab and was given charge of clandestine assassinations in the Punjab; he was also assigned the job of ‘gun smuggling operations’; Rabinder Ohri (Assistant Director RAW) operated from Rajasthan and coordinated with H.S. Kriplani (in smuggling of weapons); later, W.N.B. Rao (another Assistant Director RAW) took over from Ohri; after this R.N. Gupta (Assistant Director RAW) replaced Rao and supervised operations in Rajasthan; he remained on this ‘job’ till December 1983. Similarly, A.I. Vasuvada (another RAW officer) remained the in charge of Amritsar till summer of 1982; it was he who master-minded the action at Chowk Mehta on the 20th of September 1981 (it was carried through Awtar Singh Atwal, D.I.G. Punjab Police, which led to killing of several Sikhs); in 1982 he was replaced by S.K. Tripathi who planned murders of the Hindus as well as burning of 47 railway stations; after accomplishing his ‘job’ he returned to Delhi on the 3rd of May 1984.[6]Now, Indira Gandhi began preparations for attack on Darbar Sahib; but before this invasion she began another era of violence. Her ‘Third Agency’ created atmosphere for multi-way violence: (1) Killings by the Police and the C.R.P.F., (2) Killings of the Sikhs in Haryana (under patronage of Bhajan Lal, the then chief minister of Haryana); (3) Terrorist actions by fanatic Hindus terrorist groups (4) Clandestine murders; and on the other side (1) provoke and promote demonstrations and disturbances in the name of the Akalis; (2) create situation to make Sikh leaders issue aggressive and provocative statements; (3) manoeuvre promotion of disdain and enmity among various Sikh groups, both political and militants; (4) clandestine killings of the militants to be attributed to the Akalis or rival militant groups: i.e. the state of ushering civil war among the Sikhs; hence chaos in the Sikh world.The Indian Army assigned job of attack on Darbar SahibIn the summer of 1983, Indira Gandhi asked Lt General S. K. Sinha, then vice-chief of the Indian Army to prepare a position paper for an assault on Darbar Sahib; but, when he strongly advised her against taking such a step;[7] as a result he was transferred to Army Headquarters; later, he chose to seek pre-mature retirement. Now Arun Shridhar Vaidya was appointed the Chief of Army with Lt. General Krishna Swamy Sunderji (General Officer Commander in chief of the Western Command) as vice Chief. In September 1983, Indira Gandhi asked Vaidya and Sunderji to prepare a position paper for an attack on Darbar sahib and he agreed immediately; it (position paper) was ready by the end of December 1983; Indira Gandhi studied it for two weeks and, on the Indian Army Day, on the 15th of January 1984, she gave final instructions to General Sunderji to make preparations for attack.[8]In the third week of January 1984, a commando force of 600 soldiers was selected from different units of the Indian Army; they were sent to make rehearsals for an assault on Darbar Sahib Complex, and, for this purpose a life size replica of the Darbar Sahib complex was built in the hills of Chakrata (near Dehradun), about 240 kilometres from Delhi. In January 1984, after accomplishment of the mission of practice of mock attack on Darbar Sahib Complex, Indira Gandhi was briefed about the completion of the preparations for attack; between February and May 1984 Indira Gandhi alerted the Army three times but each time she vetoed the invasion; ‘a case of nerves’ as per a senior aide.[9]As mentioned in the previous chapter, the Third Agency had escalated violence in the Punjab in order to justify an attack on Darbar Sahib; in 1981 there occurred just 28 incidents of violence in the Punjab, in 1982 the number was just 33; in 1983 when the Third Agency began its action for final round the number of incidents of violence rose to 138 but after this when the Commandos had completed their mock battle in Chakrata hill, number of incidents of violence began rising, and, just in five month (from the 27th of January to the 2nd of June 1984) 364 incidents of violence took place; of these 22 occurred in the first two days of June although the army had already taken positions in the Punjab on the 31st of May; even out of the incidents 90% were of frivolous nature hence of no significance; after Indira Gandhi gave the first order (which was postponed) to attack Darbar Sahib, incidents of violence increased with high speed so that attack on Darbar Sahib may be fully justified. Thus the activities of the Third Agency and political manoeuvring of Indira Gandhi outwitted not only hazy minded Akalis but also the Hindus and the other political Parties. Indira Gandhi never disclosed her hidden aims, all this time. Indira Gandhi Government kept on repeating that Armed Forces will not enter Golden Temple Complex.[10]Though Indira Gandhi had made all preparations for attack on Darbar Sahib but as a drama she continued having dialogue with the Akalis; she had performed this ‘drama’ several times earlier too; during Tri-Party Talks ‘three times in six months an agreement was reached and three times she backed out’; she again backed out when Swaran Singh tried to mediate; she uses dilly-dallying tactics when the ‘Punjabi Group’[11] came up with a ‘formula’ in April 1984; in fact ‘Mrs Gandhi had other intentions’;[12] even Ravinder Singh Ravi, a professor of Punjabi University, tried to mediate; his efforts too met with almost similar treatment; none of them knew that Indira Gandhi was just playing drama of negotiations, she had already planned to attack Darbar Sahib and cash the Sikh Card to capture a big junk of Hindu votes.[13]The last drama of show of negotiations with the Akalis was played from March to May 1984; the Akali leaders met the Government delegations on the 27th, 28th and 29th of March, on the 21st of April and on the 26th of May,[14] the last meeting took place on the 27th of May 1984;[15] in the final meeting an agreement was reached with the Akalis and they were told that the same will be ‘announced after getting approval from Madam’; in fact this was just a drama because on that day (the 27th of May) orders had already been issued to the Indian Army to proceed towards Amritsar (an advance party of the Indian Army had taken positions around Darbar Sahib on the 30th of May).Before finally attacking Darbar Sahib, Indira Gandhi had prepared ground; a mutual distrust had already been created between the Sikhs and the Hindus; the Sikhs were been projected as anti Hindu, killers of Hindus, as well as separatist, Khalistanis, anti-nationalists, ‘agents of Pakistan’, traitors, extremists (attvaadi/ dahishatgarad), fundamentalist, fanatics etc. The Government media, the A.I.R., T.V. were presenting the militants as the ‘Sikh terrorists’; and this hate-propaganda was so aggressive that not only the B.J.P.[16] but even the other non-communal Opposition Parties, including both Communist Parties, vied each other in condemning and denigrating Sikhs and demanding a military action against Bhindranwala particularly and Darbar Sahib generally; Atal Bihari Vajpayee, L.K. Advani, Chowdhry Charan Sinh,[17] Shiv Sena, Hindu Suraksha Samiti, Shiv Sena, Bajrang Brigade, Vishav Hindu Prishad, Arya Samaj all spoke in the same language; they were so ignorant that they could not read the mind of the notorious and mischievous woman; it is surprising that Harkishan Surjeet (of the C.P.M.), too sailed in the same boat in spite of the fact that he himself had been a part and parcel of negotiating team and he knew that it was Indira Gandhi who was the real culprit as she did not want a political solution and she had ‘other intentions.’Execution of attack on Darbar SahibArmy takes over the reins of the PunjabIndira Gandhi issued orders for attack on Darbar Sahib under the code name of ‘Operation Blue Star’; on the 27th of May 1984 the troops left for Amritsar by rail, road and even by air; five Corps of Army (the 1st, the 2nd, the 10th, the 11th, and the 15th) had reached the Punjab on the 30th of May and the Army was still on the move. On the 31st of May, a meeting of the operating generals was held at Chandimandir (near Chandigarh) at the headquarters of ‘Core 2’ unit of the Indian Army; it was attended by officers of the Army, Air Force and Navy which included Lt. General K. Sunderji, K.S. Brar, R.S. Dyal and others; Sunderji had been Commander of a regiment in the Indo-Pak War of 1965, R.S. Dyal had been a Major of a Parachute Regiment in the same War. This meeting discussed and planned to attack and occupy Darbar Sahib in just 24 hours; the whole ‘action’ was broadly divided into two parts: attack on Darbar Sahib (under code ‘Operation Blue Star’) and sealing of border between India and Pakistan (‘Operation Wood Rose’); operation of the sealing of the border was assigned to 11 Core Unit, Lt. General K. Gauri Shankar was the chief of this ‘Operation’.Indira Gandhi’s broadcast from the A.I.R.:Though Indira Gandhi had ordered attack on Darbar Sahib but she was scared; right from the 27th of May 1984, when she had signed final orders, she had been nervous, her behaviour had turned queer, her voice choked all these days; during this period she had called a closed-door meeting of Congress activists from all over India, and, on the 2nd of June 1984, “when she walked up to the platform she appeared to be limping; her shoulders were hunched; she looked dishevelled; her face was drawn; she choked as she spoke; it looked like if someone in her family had died”.[23]A few hours later, in the late hours of the evening of the 2nd of June, Indira Gandhi made an unscheduled broadcast from the A.I.R.; in her broadcast she blamed the Akalis for not having reached agreement(which was a lie as it was she who backed out at least three times); she stated that she had accepted all the demands of the Akalis i.e. sale of tobacco, liquor and meat had been banned in demarcated area in the walled city of Amritsar (this too was lie), consultations were being made for an All India Gurdwara Act (this was just a gossip), a Tribunal headed by a Supreme Court Judge was being constituted to decide distribution of water dispute (the Akalis had demanded that the case should be decided by the Supreme Court and not a Tribunal, but, she did not trust the Supreme Court), a Commission was being appointed to decide the issue of Chandigarh, Abohar, Fazilka and other Punjabi or Hindi speaking areas (this was a blatant lie), Sarkaria Commission has been appointed to submit its report on Centre-State relations (only this part was true; but Sarkaria Commission had been appointed on the 24th of March 1983 i.e. more than 14 months earlier). She said that the Government had accepted their demands but they were raising fresh demands all the time (this too was a lie), and, they have announced launching of a non cooperation Movement from the 3rd of June. In the end she played another drama by saying: ‘Even at this late hour, I appeal to the Akali leaders to call off their threatened agitation and accept the framework of peaceful settlement which we have offered. She ended her speech with the words “Don’t shedblood, shed hatred”;[24] it was like devil giving sermons because when she was speaking from the A.I.R. the Indian Army had already taken positions around Darbar Sahib three days earlier to that and had also surrounded more than 70 Gurdwaras and had been firing at Darbar Sahib for the past two days; and it (Indian Army) was ready to play with ‘blood’ and dissipate and practice ‘hatred’. Commenting upon this Kuldip Nayyar observed: ‘How could she first order military operation and then suggest negotiations? And even if the Akalis were ready to talk, how could they contact her, all the telephones had been cut off.’[25](turning text into bold and Italic letters is my action – author).Events Relating to Attack on Darbar SahibOn the 2nd of June 1984, the Indian Army sealed all the international border, from Ganganagar in Rajasthan to Jammu; several army tanks, a large number of army trucks and Armed Personnel Carriers (A.P.C.) as well as other Army vehicles with a large quantity of weapons were seen everywhere in the Punjab and on the international border.The same day, formalities of takeover by the Army were performed; the Army set up Command Headquarter in the Police Kotwali (about 300 metres from Darbar Sahib), the ‘Armed Group’ of the 350 Infantry Brigade, which was to guide ‘Operation’ (it was to act under the command of K.S. Brar), was stationed here, at the top floor of this building; and this office was direct on line with the Central Government’s Control Room at Delhi which was under the overall command of Indira and Rajiv Gandhi assisted by Arun Nehru, Arun Sinh, and K. P. Sinh Deo (Deputy Defence Minister).[26] The same day, R. S. Dayal[27] (Chief of Staff Western Command) took over as the Advisor Security[28] to the Governor of the Punjab; and, with this all the telecommunication, postal services and rail and bus transport was taken over or suspended by the Army; the Punjab Police had now virtually no role as they were just to obey orders of the Army; by the evening the Army had been posted on all the key positions: the railway stations, bus stands and all the transport, telecommunication towers and their offices, bridges and roads, canals and rivers, administration and public services; now all the infra structure in the Punjab was under the command of the Indian Army; all the foreign citizens were ordered to leave the Punjab.As per planning the attack was to begin early in the morning of the 4th of June 1984; frontal attack on Akal Takht was to be made by specially trained commandos of the Parachute Regiment from 1st battalion, wearing black denims with bullet-proof vests; they were to be followed by the 10 Guards and the 12 Bihar Corps; they were to be assisted by 26 Madras and 9 Kumaon. The 12 Bihar Corps had already taken positions around Darbar Sahib, right in the morning of the 3rd of June. As per planning the whole ‘Operation’ was to be completed in thirty-six hours; hence, on the 3rd of June, at 9 p.m., a thirty-six hour curfew (later extended for another thirty-six hours) was imposed in the whole of the Punjab; and, in and around Darbar Sahib, electricity and water services were disconnected.On the other hand, when the electricity was disconnected General Subeg Singh understood that the attack would begin within hours so he assigned duties to the defending Sikh volunteers whose number was between 100 and 125; they took positions in the basement of Akal Takht, in and around the Parikarma(periphery), at the Ghanta Ghar (clock tower) gate of Darbar Sahib; the Babar Khalsa group took positions at the top of Ramgarhia Bunga (two eighteen century towers on the corner of Darbar Sahib) and on the water tank (in side Guru Ram Dass Saran) and the tower of Baba Atal Gurdwara.The Launching of the Invasion by the Indian ArmyIn the morning of the 4th of June, the Army was assigned job like this: (a) North-west zone of Darbar Sahib Complex (Ghanta Ghar to Akal Takht) = one Infantry Unit, one Para Commandos, one Company Special Border Force [S.S.F.] (b) Darbar Sahib itself = one unit (c) South-east zone of Darbar Sahib Complex (Ata Mandi, Sikh Reference Library, Baba Atal, Manji Sahib) = one Infantry Battalion (d) reserve for all these three = one Infantry Battalion (e) siege of Darbar Sahib = one Infantry Battalion.On that day, there were more than five thousand Sikhs inside Darbar Sahib; it being the anniversary of the martyrdom day of Guru Arjan Sahib, people from the whole of the Punjab and even other places had gone there to make obeisance; a thousand strong jatha, which was to court arrest the following day had also arrived; besides some Bangla Deshis, who were to board a train to Pakistan the following day, had also gone to Darbar Sahib for meals and night stay.On the night of the 3rd of June the Army had forcibly taken over ‘Braham Buta Akhara’ and ‘Temple View Hotel’; and these were, later, used for the Operation.At 4.40 a.m. the final assault of the ‘Operation’ began; first of all the Army attacked the water tank (inside Guru Ram Dass Saran) and the ‘Ramgarhia Bunga’ (two towers of the eighteenth century) with 106 M.M. cannon, 25 pounder 3.7 inch Howitzers guns, mortars and 3.7 Howell guns, LMG and MMG guns;[29] which blasted the water tank and the upper part of the Ramgarhia Bunga, killing all those who had taken positions there; their bodies fling off in pieces all around; thus this front was won by the Army without any battle. Bombardment of the Army was so savage that not a single person, including the defending militants and the pilgrims staying there to spend night, survived this savage attack.Now the Army dropped its specially trained parachute commandos through helicopters; however all of them were killed even before kanding; some of them even drowned in the Amritsar (tank).[30] The Army had not expected it so the generals were greatly shocked.After this, 50 specially trained commandos of the ‘10 Guard’ unit moved towards ‘Ghanta Ghar entrance’ of the Darbar Sahib complex; most of them were immediately killed and the rest were wounded (among the wounded was also Jasbir Raina who, a day earlier, had gone to Darbar Sahib to collect sensitive information; later one of his legs had to be imputed; he remained handicapped for the rest of his life). When this batch of the commandos too had been eliminated, Para Commandos and the S.S.F. took their place to move towards Akal Takht. Hundreds of soldiers, in batches of 25 each, tried to reach Akal Takht so that they should throw poisonous gas canisters and ‘stun bombs’ inside the Takht building to kill or make unconscious the Sikhs present there; but none of them could proceed even a few metres towards Akal Takht; all of them were killed; some of them tried to proceed by crawling but they too were killed by a machinegun which the Sikh fighters had set on the floor; by noon hundreds of soldiers had been killed and there was not even 10% success; the whole passage between Ghanta Ghar and Akal Takht was full of dead bodies of the soldiers of the India Army. After this the Army began throwing gas shells but as the direction of the wind was towards the Army, it rather boomeranged and harmed the Army. As per an army officer, who was commanding a part of this operation, ‘when all the army commandos trying to proceed towards the building of Akal Takht were cut down by militants, on the night of the 5th of June the military operation had to be temporarily suspended because of disaster.’[31]Deployment of tanks to blow off the building of Akal TakhtBy this time (at 2 a.m. on the 6th of June), Brigadier A. K. Diwan (nickname Chikki) reached at the Sikh Reference Library; K. S. Brar assigned him command of 26 Mardras, 15 Kumaon and 9 Garhwal and directed him to target only Akal Takht; within half an hour this group began its action; hundreds of shells were fired but the Indian Army could not advance even a centimetre; and the losses of the Army were very high. At this Diwan and Brar decided to bring in tanks;[32] Brar contacted Sunderji, the Chief of ‘Blue Star Operation’ on walkie-talkie who further the got approval of Indira Gandhi through General Vaidya,[33] the Chief of the Indian Army. Between 2.30 and 3 a.m. the first tank was brought from the side of Guru Ram Das Saran; it was 38 Ton Vijayanta Tank fitted with 105 mm heavy guns. This tank entered the periphery of Darbar Sahib and threw search light at Akal Takht and began heavy shelling with 105 mm guns; it was supported by guns of the Army units which had taken positions on the roofs of the buildings of both Ghanta Ghars but, this action cold not continue long because the wires of the bulb of the search light got fused after one minute;[34] now the Army brought in another tank; this too met the same fate; then a third tank was also brought in.[35] At that time it was dark and the helicopter helped the Army in identifying the targets for attack. “The helicopters hovered above and continued to fire from above. Some of the helicopters also guided the firing squads of the Army by making a circle of light around the targets. Immediately after these circles, the cannon balls would land on the targets causing havoc. We saw a large number of boys blown to pieces.” [36]The tanks could not give the expected results; now Polish built eight-wheeled mechanised carriers ‘Armoured Personnel Carriers’ (A.P.C.) and cannons were brought in; to bring them into the periphery the stairs of the entrance to the periphery had to be blasted with the help of another tank because the Scott could not have crossed these stairs.By this time, shells of 84 mm of Carl Gustav (of Sweden) guns were being showered at the building of Akal Takht. Now some commandos of the 15 Kumaon, seated in an A.P.C., tried to proceed towards Akal Takht; all this time rockets of the Army continued shelling Akal Takht so that the Army may get the shield from the attacks by the militants; but, then an anti-tank shell, thrown by the militants, fell upon this A.P.C. and it got jammed there and then.Now, Brar got orders from Indira Gandhi to totally blast Akal Takht building with the help of the tanks; at 5.10 a.m. Indira Gandhi called General A. S. Vaidya, the Chief Commander of Army, and after consulting him she gave permission for this action too (she had not slept for the past two days); having got ‘go ahead’ from Vaidya and Indira Gandhi, at 5.21 a.m. the army began constant shelling of the Takht building; within hours one third of the building had disappeared but still there was heavy confrontation. From the other side, at about 5.45 a.m., Major B.K. Mishra of the Commando Company, succeeded in reaching near the stairs of the Akal Takht; the militants had in fact not attacked them deliberately and allowed them to proceed and when they reached there all of them were killed. Even by 6.20 a.m. on the 6th of June, the Indian Army had achieved nothing but deaths and destruction.At about 6.20 a.m. Subedar K.P. Raman Ravi and some of his commandos too reached near the Akal Takht; the militants let them to continue moving ahead, but when they reached the stairs, the militants pounced upon them and took them inside the basement of Akal Takht and tied a bomb on the body of Raman and blasted his body; the rest too were killed.At 7.30 a.m. the Indian army again began shelling the building of Akal Takht; about 80 squash-head shells of 105 mm were fired at the Takht; this action continued till 11.30 a.m.; but, in spite of this the Army could not reach near the Takht. In the night, the biggest battle began; to quote an eye witness: “At about 9 p.m. on 6 June, entire city of 700,000 was plunged into darkness by a powerful outrage. Half an hour later, Amritsar was shaken by powerful shelling, mortar explosions and machine-gun fire. The big battle had begun. Half the city was on rooftops watching the battle. Tracer bullets and flares lit up the crescent moon sky. The explosion at Golden Temple rattled doors and windows miles away. While the battle was raging, the state run radio claimed that the city was ‘calm’.”[37]To quote an eye-witness account: “From my vantage point I could see some of the army trucks and jeeps mounted with the guns moving. On Monday evening, rumbled in the tanks. The hotel staff, who had little to do, also watched the gun battles from time to time during the three days and three nights that I spent up on the terrace. So fierce was the firing that the crescends created by the vast quantities of ammunition expended became almost deafening at times. This was especially so when the tanks opened fire. Like a clap of thunder, the sound reverberated across the thousands of houses making little children cry and women shriek. Stray bullets whistled past overhead and we had often to duck or take shelter behind the tanks. I collected some used bullets as ‘souvenirs’. At night, the burst of fire from a variety of guns, including 25 pounders, lit up the sky over Amritsar. The bullets and other ammunition sped in every direction, forming patterns of red streaks.”[38]In spite of using tanks, helicopters, and the world’s renowned latest top-most guns, the mighty Indian Army had not been able to reach near the building of Akal Takht. According to the correspondent of the Suday times London,[39] 15000 troops took part in the assault, 35000 standing by to put down any possible internal rebellion; it further says: ‘Not even in the more ruthless days of the Empire (English Empire in India) had the army been used to storm such an important religious building’; besides the number of the defenders was not more one hundred and fifty; and such a small number of defenders of the Darbar Sahib did not allow the mighty Army to win a few hectares of land for four long days; it is perhaps the greatest battle of the world history.’Another historical fact of this battle is that in this battle the Indian Army used more ammunition than it had used at any front, in the earlier wars (1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak War and 1962 Indo-China war); probably, in no battle, for the occupation of one small complex, so much ammunition was used throughout the history of the battles of the world. It was one of the great historic unequal battle in the history of world in which, on one side there were about one hundred defenders against fifteen thousand strong force (with another fifty thousand reserve forces as stand by); the former had just a small quantity of guns whereas the invaders had helicopters, tanks, most modern army vehicles, guns, canons, latest ammunition with endless quantity; the defenders fought without eating or drinking anything whereas the invading army had full supplies of everything; it was unequal battle perhaps the greatest event of military history of the world.[40]The Greatest Battle of Resistance in HistoryAbout fifty thousand soldiers of the Indian Aramy, known as the ‘third greatest army of the world’, with all its three wings (Army, Air Force and Navy), fully equipped with helicopters, tanks, cannons, guns and unlimited ammunition as well as all sorts of provisions, and with endless supply of everything and other facilities, attacked Darbar Sahib Complex to capture just 444 square feet area; and, on the other hand, just a few ordinary Sikhs, around 125, who did not have even proper training to fire guns, and had nothing to eat or drink and no back up or supply for all the period of battle, without having a wink of sleep for more than seventy-two hours, resisted such a mammoth army for more than three days; hence this was perhaps the greatest battle of resistance in the history of the world.How Many Persons were killed by the Indian Army?The Government of India’s ‘White Paper’ (which is just a bundle of lies) claims that 83 soldiers[43] and 493 Sikhs were killed in the Army attack; it also mentions that 59 persons died or were injured in other Gurdwaras[44]. It is intriguing that a Government is not willing to tell truth about the casualties. The non-official accounts mention the number of the casualties between three and eight thousand;[45] according to Jasbir Singh Sarna 1208 soldiers and 122 Sikh defenders were killed; besides the Army killed 3228 Sikh pilgrims too; the Government also claimed that 287 soldiers and 121 Sikhs were wounded, whereas according to Sarna, the number of the wounded soldiers was around 3000, whereas 12 Sikh defenders and 1526 Sikh pilgrims and Bangladeshis, who were staying there to board train the following day too had been wounded; similarly, according to this source, the number of Sikhs arrested (mostly pilgrims) was 1592 from Darbar Sahib[46] and 796 from other Gurdwaras and 2324 from other places in the Punjab (a total of 4712).[47]The number of the Sikhs killed was so high due to two reasons: 1. “The army which had suffered a heavy toll in the three days battle went berserk and killed every Sikh to be found inside the temple complex. They were hauled out of the rooms, brought to corridors in the circumference of the temple and, with hands tied to their backs,[48] they were shot dead in cold blood. Among the victims were many old men, women and children.”[49] 2. “The Army might have been operating under ‘take-no-prisoners’ order.”[50]In other words the Indian Army had perpetrated brutalities on innocent persons, several of them were children. It belies the statement by K. Sunderji, the Chief of this ‘Operation’ who shamefully lied that “We went inside the premises of Golden Temple Complex with humility in our hearts and prayers on our lips”[51]; whereas the truth is that having suffered heavy losses the Indian Army behaved even ordinary Sikh passengers as a savage animal who would pounce upon a lamb.Women and Children killed in cold bloodChellany has reported that at Jalandhar, doctors had been rounded up and taken to Amritsar to conduct post mortem examination of civilians killed inside Darbar Sahib. “A doctor corroborated what I had been told by a deputy police superintendent in Amritsar that several of the slain Sikh militants were shot by troops with their hand tied at the back. The doctor, whose team examined four hundred corpses, including a hundred women and fifteen to twenty children, said he conducted post-mortems of several Sikhs whose hands were tied at the back with their turban cloth.”[52]Honouring Brutal SoldiersDuring the attack on Darbar Sahib, the Indian Army had behaved as brutal enemies; no warnings, no attempts to save innocent pilgrims, indiscriminate killings, inhuman treatment with the dead, no handing over the dead to their relatives, keeping no records of the dead, burning of bodies without identification, cremating the dead bodies by pouring kerosene oil and petrol on them, perpetrating atrocities on the arrested Sikhs by keeping them in small cells without water and thus killing several of them, killing those prisoners who begged for water (this being the hottest month of the year), detaining babies and children (for months) were among the great ‘achievements’ of the Indian Army. What the Indian Army did had no parallels in the world history; most ferocious invaders had not behaved in such savage manner; still the Indian Government presented these inhuman soldiers and generals with gallantry Awards, honours, decoration strips, promotions etc for their ‘heroic acts’; this special ‘Award Ceremony’ was performed on the 10th of July 1985. It is amazing to note that the Indian Government had not honoured the brave soldiers who had performed acts of chivalry during the battles of 1962, 1965 and 1971; honouring of those who had perpetrated atrocities on its own people and had crossed all the limits of inhuman acts was shocking and shameful; however it exposed the Sikh-hatred of the Indian regime; further shocking is that these ‘Awards’ were given by Sikh looking President; so devoid of self respect he was!Why This Day was especially Chosen?The Indian Government knew that the 4th of June 1984 was the anniversary of the martyrdom of Guru Arjan Sahib, the founder of the Darbar Sahib (and son of the founder of the city of Amritsar) hence thousands of Sikhs, from various parts of the Punjab and other places, were sure to visit to make obeisance; the Government chose this day especially so as to show the world that the number of the militants was so high. Even if we accept that the Army did not know about these two points still, on the first of June, several senior officials of the Army had taken a round of the Darbar Sahib on their ‘spying mission’ and had observed that the number of the visitor there was always in thousands; they could have given an ultimatum to the visitors to come out (the Army could arrest and investigate their credentials to separate militants from ordinary visitors); no such ultimatum was given, no announcement was made, no offer to surrender was made; on the other hand there is ample evidence that those who surrendered were indiscriminately killed by the Army because it (Army) did not want arrests; hence liquidations. There is ample evidence that the soldiers went around the Guru Ram Das Saran (hostel for the visitors) as well as in the rooms in the parikarma (periphery) and threw hand grenades in every room killing whosoever was there;[53]more than one thousand Sikhs were killed in such actions.Babies and Children sent to JailsThe Indian Army killed thousands of pilgrims who had gone to Darbar Sahib to make obeisance, some of them were carrying infants or were accompanied by small children; several children were killed when the soldiers threw hand-grenades in every room of the Darbar Sahib Complex but those who still survived were taken into custody and sent to jails; these children were aged between two and twelve; 39 of these children were kept in Ludhiana Jail; and these innocent babies who had been branded as ‘terrorists’ were graded in three categories: very dangerous, dangerous and potentially dangerous. These children had no one to attend, the elder (twelve years old) would console the two years old babies; however they did get food (whatsoever its standard) in jail, every day there were tears and cries, the children begged to be sent home to their parents (they did not know that their parents had been killed and cremated by the Army).As per the Indian laws no child under the age of sixteen can be arrested or lodged in a jail or detained in a police station; this is categorically prohibited under the Children Act 1960 and the East Punjab Act 1976 but these acts were not applicable to the Sikh children; the Army, the jail authorities, the C.B.I. refused to bother for these Acts or the Human Rights Conventions; when the Human Rights organisations brought this inhuman treatment of babies, the Government officials, including the Governor, did not bother; perhaps for them the Sikhs had no human rights. Finally, when Kamla Devi Chattopadhya, a philanthropist social worker, approached the Supreme Court, these children were released under court orders; even here, the Jail Superintendent tried to ditch the Court order, some of them were transferred to Nabha Jail who could not released at that time and languished in jails for several more years;[54] when released, some of them had become physical and mental wrecks.[55]Plundering of the Sikh AchievesBy the evening of the 5th of June 1984, the India Army had completely occupied the whole North-East (Braham Buta Akhara to Guru Ram Das Saran) and South-East (Guru Ram Das Saran to Ghanta Ghar on the South of Darbar Sahib, including Baba Atal); and it was from the roof of the Sikh Reference Library that the Indian Army was observing the scenario of Akal Takht. At that time the Library was locked; the Indian Army broke open the lock and took possession of it. On the 7th of June, when the Army had occupied Akal Takht too, it ordered 200 new boxes in which all the precious and rare books, manuscripts, relics, rare newspapers etc were packed; besides there were hundreds of handwritten volumes of Guru Granth Sahib, some of which were as old as from seventeenth century, were also packed and taken away.[56] After this the wooden racks and newspapers of contemporary period were set on fire and, later, it (Army) announced that the Library caught fire in cross-firing; this fact was denied by Davinder Singh Duggal, in charge of the Library, who was present in the adjoining quarter, which was his residence. The Army took away the precious achieves with it which remained at Merrut Cantonment for some time; it was never returned to the Sikhs (at least up to the end of 2011). The Army carried away not only the Sikh Reference Library but also all the papers, account books, proceedings and other records of the S.G.P.C. and the Akali Dal and these too were never returned.Cremation of (in fact insult to) the dead-bodiesThe total loss of life in this Army attack was around than 6000, out of which more than 1200 were the soldiers of the Indian Army; funeral of the soldiers was conducted by their respective units. On the other hand, the authorities did not bother to identify or even to record the number of the casualties on the Sikh side. “When General Dyer killed people in Jallianwala Bagh, the dead bodies were given to their relatives but strangely our own Army killed our own people and did not return the bodies to their relatives.”[57] To dispose of the dead bodies of the Sikhs the Army tried to engage first some truck-cleaners and other labour but when they refused, the sweepers were engaged to carry the dead bodies to the cremation ground but as the bodies had been lying there for the past two or more days, hence decomposed and stinking; at first the sweepers refused even to touch them, but when the Army supplied them bottles of rum and big sum of money they agreed. Some of them had made tidy fortunes in the bargain.[58] As most of the dead-bodies had become highly discomposed, when the sweepers carried them to the trucks, limbs fell down and flesh came into their hands; as a result they collected fallen limbs in turbans and dupattas (scarves) of the dead Sikhs, and put these pieces in garbage-carrying vessels, buckets and stretchers and loaded them into the garbage trolleys; everywhere pieces of flesh and pools of blood, at places even ankle-deep congealed blood, created a grotesque scene. After this these bodies were taken to Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital for post mortem; first doctors expressed their in ability to perform autopsy but when threatened of dire consequences they had to make formalities of post-mortem as an eye-wash; they faced big problem in performing; post-mortem of decomposed bodies; and, after this, these dead-bodies were again loaded in garbage trolleys like dead animals and taken to the nearby Chatiwind Crematorium where these were burnt by pouring kerosene oil, diesel and petrol on them because there was not enough wood to burn them.[59] As the dead-bodies had been decomposing for three days the stench of the decomposed bodies and their burning with kerosene oil remained in the air for several weeks.To quote Chellany: “I visited the main city crematory on 9 and 11 June to check the fatality toll in the Golden Temple assault. Strangely while there were troops everywhere in the city, there were none at the crematrory. The ‘army probably thinks that the ghosts would take care of intruders’, said the man on duty at crematrorium. He and the police official, who were given charge of removing the dead from the temple complex, said bodies were being brought in municipal garbage trucks round the clock since early 6 June; ‘we have been really busy; to add to our woes, we don’t have enough wood to burn the dead, and we have been cremating them in heaps of twenty or more’, said the crematory official.”[60]Near the Golden Temple I saw an estimated 50 corpses in a rubbish lorry that had sewage still smeared on its outer body. From the back of the grey truck, at least two masculine legs were sticking out and from the left one could see the hanging forehead and the long flowing hair on an apparently un-turbanned Sikh. As I peeped into the truck from the back, I could see dead bodies of at least two women and a child. That night it was difficult to sleep. I kept thinking of the dead bodies.”[61]According to a soldier (who had actually participated in attack on Darbar Sahib) some of the dead bodies of the Sikhs were even thrown into the rivers Raavi and Beas: “On the morning of June 6, the Golden Temple Complex was like a graveyard. Bodies lay all around in buildings, on the parikarma and in the sarovar. The Sun was shining and stench from bodies was becoming unbearable. Dead bodies of Jawans were identified and hand over to their respective regiments. I myself carried the bodies of three soldiers on my shoulders. Each regiment conducted the funeral rites of their various Jawans. The civilians, who died, about 1500 of them, were piled in trolleys and carried away. A lot of them were thrown into the rivers. The battle was a tragic one. I could not eat anything. Food made me sick. I used to drink lots of rum and go to sleep.”[62]This soldier’s confession of drinking of a lot of rum is confirmed by the fact that all the soldiers of the Indian Army who joined attack on Darbar Sahib were give regular supply of whiskey; as per records of the Army Canteens in the Punjab, the Army bought seven hundred thousand bottles of rum, thirty thousand halves (of bottles) of whisky, sixty thousand halves of brandy and sixty thousand beer bottles. The soldiers were also supplied thousands of packs of cigarettes too; the soldiers were seen openly smoking in the Darbar Sahib complex.[63]Part 2Fanatic Hindu Politician Support Indira Gandhi’s ActionThe attack on Darbar Sahib by Indira Gandhi was reacted to differently by different leaders; the R.S.S. chief Balasaheb Deoras,[64] Atal Bihari Vajpayee[65], the B.J.P. (its Executive even passed a resolution to this effect)[66], Lok Dal leader Chowdhry Charan Singh,[67] Janta Party leaders Madhu Dandvate,[68] Ram Krishan Hegde,[69] Ravinder Varma and Raj Narayan[70], former Prime Minister Morarji Desai and former Deputy Prime Minister Y.B. Chavan[71] and all other Hindu fundamentalists and even the C.P.I. and the C.P.M. (both the Communist Parties) supported Indira Gandhi’s attack;[72] none of them, however, tried to know the truth behind the attack and what had happened there at Amritsar. On the other hand, Janta Party President Chander Sheikhar,[73]George Fernades and Subramaniam Swamy (a senior Janta leader),[74] Andhra Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao[75] strongly condemned the attack.International Press condemns Indira GandhiThe attack on Darbar Sahib was condemned by the international media in strong words; to quote a few of them:“Mughal emperors and British Governors alike tried military solutions to the Sikh problem and succeeded only in adding to the rolls of martyrs, cherished by the proud and prickly people. Sikhs also have long memories. They have never forgotten or forgiven the day in 1919 when General Dyer ordered his troops to open fire in the sacred city of Amritsar and Mrs. Gandhi may well have cause to rue the day she did the same.” (R. H. Greenfield, in The Sunday Telegraph, dated 10.6.1984).“While the impact of Indira Gandhi’s action cannot yet be measured, she can be sure of a heart-felt vote of thanks from the Hindus in the north-east.” (Michael Hamlyn, in The Times, dated 9.6.1984).“Historical parallels may be dangerous, but last week’s killings in the Golden temple and the Amritsar massacre of 1919 have some remarkable similarities.” (The Sunday Times, dated 10.6.1984).“The 1984 battle of Golden Temple, like the 1919 Amritsar Massacre (Jallianwala Bagh), marks the beginning of a new potentially turbulent chapter in the Indian history. The chapter which opened with the 1919 massacre ended with the departure of the British. The new one is only ten days old, and no one can say how it will end.” (Robin Lusting, in The Observer, dated 17.6.1984).From among foreign countries only Russia supported Indira Gandhi’s action and said that she had succeeded in crushing a U.S.A. inspired conspiracy.It is widely believed that the Russian K.G.B. and military expertise was available to the Indian Army; even the Israeli Mossad and the British counter-insurgency experts had been consulted by the Indian Government; within previous few months, Gary Saxena and R.N. Kay, the two officers of the India secret service (R.A.W.) made several trips to London to seek expertise.[76]Angry Sikh folks march towards Amritsar, hundreds killedAs there was complete curfew in the whole of the Punjab since the night of the 3rd of June, telephone lines were dead, the publication of the newspapers remained suspended (no paper was printed for more than a week), the All India rado (A.I.R.) did not say any word till for the first two days of the invasion; and on the third day of battle, on the 6th of June, the first news people received was the Government propaganda telling that the Army had attacked Darbar Sahib and had ‘accomplished’ its mission; it broadcast the news of some three hundred casualties and, moreover, it did not mention the destruction of Akal Takht. The broadcast was made in such a style that it should rather impress the people that the Army had done some noble cause without resorting to any extreme action.But, even this could not silence the Sikhs and hearing the news of attack on Darbar Sahib, every Sikh got enraged; from every nook and corner, especially in the districts of Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Firozpur and Kapurthala, thousands of Sikhs marched towards Amritsar; there was mass upsurge everywhere, in the villages and the towns alike. The Army helicopters flying over in several kilometres around Amritsar spotted hundreds and thousands of Sikhs gathering in many places; and soon they (Sikhs) began marching towards Amritsar. The Army helicopters spotted three major points, at Gohalwar village (about twenty kilometres on Amritsar-Tarn Taran Road on the western side of the city), at Raja Sansi and Heir villages (about fifteen kilometres from Amritsar on the eastern side of the city), in villages around Batala and at many other places; at all these places Sikhs in thousands, between ten and thirty thousand each, were spotted marching towards Amritsar; and the crowds were swelling as more and more Sikhs from the villages on route too continued joining them.The Army had taken positions on all the routes to the city of Amritsar but to stop the marching columns from proceeding towards the city, the Army helicopters began bombing these crowds; when people began running for safety, the Army machine guns burst upon them killing several and wounding a very large number of the Sikhs; among the killed was also Gurbachan Singh Tur, a former M.P. The number of casualties at the above-mentioned three places was very high, according to villagers more than five hundred protesters were killed only at Gohalwar village; Chellany, a journalist, got partial information about these killings: “From my three military sources, I gathered that 106 people had been killed between 4 and 10 June by army firing on crowds of Sikh villagers trying to march to the Golden Temple.”[77]The Rebellions in the ArmyThe attack on Darbar Sahib hurt every Sikh, the farmers, shopkeepers, workers, students, teachers, soldiers, NRIs all; though the reactions were different with different persons but one thing was common that every Sikh took it as assault on the whole nation. In 1965 and in 1971, the Sikh soldiers had fought for India whole-heartedly; in 1971, it was the Sikh army officers like Major General Subeg Singh and General Jagjit Singh Arora who had led India to victory; in 1965 the Into-Pak War was won only by the Sikh Generals and soldiers; in 1965, when the Hindu Generals of the India Army had decided to withdraw the Indian Army positions to the eastern side of river Beas; it were the Sikh Generals who swore to save Amritsar because there was Darbar Sahib in this city, founded by Gurus. Now, in 1984, it was the Indian Army which had destroyed Darbar Sahib, it was sure to hurt them (Sikhs) and they were supposed to fight for the honour of their Darbar and Guru’s city; hence the Sikh soldiers in different units of the Army rebelled and left their barracks and marched towards Amritsar; and the Sikh soldiers rebelled in ten cantonments;[78] the soldiers’ rebellion was not an organised action, they had acted just sentimentally without being aware of the consequences of desertions to their lives, their career and their families.The first to rebel were the soldiers of the 9th Battalion at Ganganagar; here, on the 7th of June 1984, 414 Sikh soldiers broke into the regimental armoury, took away weapons and after having a round of the streets of Ganganagar, left for Amritsar.[79] When this news reached the Army headquarters at Delhi, they ordered the soldiers of the 94 RTV Dogra Regiment to chase the Sikh soldiers; thousands of the Dogra soldiers immediately began the chase and the following morning surrounded the rebel Sikh forces near village Kot Sukhia in Faridkot district; at first the Sikh soldiers decided to fight but having found that the number of the Indian soldiers was very big they (Sikhs) chose to surrender at about 8 p.m. on the 8th of June; the Indian Army asked all of them to stand with their hands up and began firing killing 13 of them and wounding another 23; the rest were badly tortured, arrested and later dismissed.[80]The maximum desertions took place at Ramgarh (Bihar) where 1461 soldiers of the Sikh Regimental Centre killed their Commanding Officer S.C. Puri (a fanatic Hindu), took away a large quantity of arms and ammunition, captured some private trucks from the city and began their march towards Amritsar; they were chased by 21st Mechanised Infantry Regiment which surrounded them near Shakeshgarh railway station (about 190 kilometres from Ramgarh); in spite of this siege some trucks still escaped and continued their march; they too were chased by the 20th Infantry; here a battle was fought in which 25 Sikh soldiers were killed; the rest were, however, arrested and taken back to Ramgarh; hence none of them could reach Amritsar.[81]The other major desertions took place at Jammu, Pune, Bombay, U.P. and Chandimandir etc;[82] some of the deserters at Jammu too crossed to Pakistan whose fate is still unknown. Though all these rebellions were suppressed but it shook the Indian administration and jolted the international community.Later, on the 27th of November 1984, the Indian Government revealed that 2337 Sikh soldiers had rebelled; out of these 67 had been killed and all the rest, barring 31 soldiers who were untraceable (they might have crossed to Pakistan) were arrested; all the arrested were tried under Army Laws; for most of them Summary Trails were held but 98 were tried under different Laws; under summary trial 2239 rebel soldiers were court-martialled and dismissed; and most of them were given varied sentences, some of them were given life imprisonments too.Sikh Personalities Return Indian Honours and AwardsThe uncalled and unjust attack on Darbar Sahib pricked the soul of even intelligentsia and other elite, many of whom were even known as sycophants and yes-men of the Government of India; many of these returned Government honours and resigned their high paid offices. The first to react was a person like Khushwant Singh, who had always been a supporter of Indira Gandhi and was also a bitter critic of Bhindranwala; on the 8th of June, 1984 (the day Zail Singh had gone to Darbar Sahib to have a look at the ‘achievements’ of the Indian Army), he (Khushwant Singh) returned his Padam Bhushan Award as a protest against attack on Darbar Sahib;[83] the next to react were Captain Amrinder Singh (Patiala) and Davinder Singh Garcha (Ludhiana), the two M.P.s; on the 11th of June, 1984, they resigned from the Lok Sabha as well as the Congress Party;[84] (though Buta Singh too had agreed to resign but later he backed out and rather reported the same to Indira Gandhi); the other to protest included Dr Ganda Singh Sikh historian who returned Padam Bhushan Award to the President of India on the 14th of June; and Sadhu Singh Hamdard and Dr Khushdeva Singh returned Padam Sri Awards on the 16th of June 1984.[85]Similarly, on the 18th of June 1984, Simranjeet Singh Mann (former S.S.P. Faridkot), then Group Commandant C.I.S.F. (Home Ministry), wrote a letter (D.O. no. CISF/GHB/SSM/84) to the President of India, narrated how the Sikhs had been and were being persecuted by the India Army; Maan resigned his job and left for an unknown place.Commenting on the return of the Awards and Honours by these Sikhs, the Sunday Times (London) wrote: “Historical parallels may be dangerous but the last week’s killings in the Golden Temple and the Amritsar Massacre of 1919 have some remarkable similarities. Only a few hundred yards separate the sites; the official number of the dead is (so far)[86] roughly the same. In 1919, the poet Tagore handed back his knighthood to the British. In 1984, many prominent and outraged Sikhs have turned over Indian honours to India’s President (who happens to be a Sikh).”[87]Protests by the Sikhs around the WorldTo protest against attack on Darbar Sahib, throughout the world the Sikhs held protest marches; big processions were taken out at London, Washington, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, and Oslo and in several other towns in various parts of the world. On the 10th of June, the procession in London was joined by more than 25000 Sikhs; the Washington, New York, Vancouver and Toronto processions too were in several thousands; at Oslo, which had a Sikh population of just two thousands, the Sikh procession was joined by almost everyone including women and children.[88]Dr Harjinder Singh Dilgeer(National Prof. of Sikh History & former Director of Sikh History Research Board, SGPC, Amritsar)[1] A. R. Darshi, The Gallant Defender (Amritsar 2005), p. 97 (of 2007 edition).[2] Surya monthly, September 1984.[3] Ibid.[4] Ibid.[5] Darshi, A.R. The Gallant Defender (Amritsar 2005), p. 97 (of 2007 edition).[6] Ibid, pp. 98-99.[7] ‘Operation Blue Star’ has been reckoned as one of the 10 Political Disgraces of India: 1. Internal Emergency (June 1975- January 77). 2. Operation Blue Star (June 1984). 3. Bofors Scandal (1987-96). 4. Demolition of Babri Mosque (December 1992). 5. JMM Bribery Case (July 1997). 6. Fodder Scam (January 1996). 7. Hijacking of an Indian Airliner to Kandhar (December 1999). 8. Arms Bribery Case involving Bangaru Laxman BJP chief etc (March 2001). 9. Gujrat Riots (February-March 2002). 10. Surviving No Confidence Motion (July 2008); for details see article, of the same name, by Gunjeet K. Sra in India Today, dated 29.12.2008.[8] Malhotra, Inder, Indira Gandhi: A Personal and Political Biography, (Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1989) has also refereed to this.[9] Nayyar, Kuldip and Khushwant Singh, Tragedy of Punjab, p. 56.[10] A. R. Darshi, op. cit, p. 100.[11] The ‘Punjabi Group’ comprised of Kuldip Nayyar, Air Marshal Arjan Singh, Lt General Jagjit Singh Arora, I.K. Gujral, Pran Chopra, Gurcharan Singh etc.[12] Samiuddin Adiba, The Punjab Crisis: Challenge and Response (Delhi 1985), pp. 644-45.[13] Ibid, p. 682.[14] These meetings had been attended, from Akali side, by Badal, Tohra, Ravi Inder Singh, Balwant Singh, Surjeet Barnala, Balwant Ramuwalia etc.[15] Earlier too, on the 16th and the 17th of November 1982, then on the 17th and 24th of January 1983 too, meetings had been held between the Akalis and the Government delegations.[16] L.K. Advani, in his book, published in 2008, has openly confessed that that his Party, along with Chowdhry Charan Sinh’s Party, held two major demonstrations at Delhi, on the 3rd and the 4th of May 1984, to press attack on Darbar Sahib; again, he raised this issue in the Parliament too (Advani, My Counry My Life, p. 430).When this book was published, all the Sikhs condemned Advani, but Manjit Singh G.K. (president of the Delhi Akali Dal, Badal group) went to the residence of Advani on the 13th of April 2008, and presented him with a robe of honour (for instigating Indira Gandhi to attack Darbar Sahib).[17] He was a fanatic Hindu; it was he who had occupied the land of the Gurdwara Gian Godari built at Hardwar in the memory of the visit of Guru Nanak Sahib. In 1984 he joined Advani and demanded attack on Darbar Sahib; on the 3rd of May 1984, he led a demonstration against the Akalis.[18] According to Harminder Kaur and Mark Tully, the order for this fire had been given by K.S. Brar (Harminder Kaur, op. cit., p. 7, Tully, Mark, op. cit., p. 145), also see the ‘official account’ (which is full of lies) by K.S. Brar,Operation Blue Star.[19] Citizens for Democracy, Oppression in Punjab (Delhi 1984), p. 57.[20] Oppression in Punjab, p. 58, Tully, Mark, op. cit., p. 145. Later, these marks were shown by the international media including the Pakistani TV (In Khabarnama of the 3rd of June 1984.). Later these signs were removed by the S.G.P.C. when Gurcharan Singh Tohra was President and Manjit Singh Calcutta was the Secretary.[21] Harminder Kaur, op. cit., p. 8.[22] Ibid.[23] Tully, Mark, op. cit, p. 142. On the other hand, a fanatic Hindu journalist Prem Bhatia (editor The TribuneChandigarh) playing as cheap sycophant, wrote that when he saw her in the first week of July 1984 ‘she looked five years younger’ (The Tribune, dated 8.7.1984); such was the mentality of sycophants of Indira Gandhi and the fanatic Hindus; the same Bhatia, in the issue dated 7.6.1984, described attack on Darbar Sahib as ‘a neat operation’ in spite of the fact that nothing was yet known as to what had happened there at Darbar Sahib or in 72 other Gurdwaras in the rest of the Punjab.[24] For Indira Gandhi’s full speech, see Appendix IV on pages 684-687 of The Punjab Crisis: Challenge and Response, a book edited by Adiba Samiuddin.[25] Nayyar, op. cit., P. 91[26] Darshi, op. cit, pp. 109-110.[27] It is alleged that he was a senior member of the Nirankari cult, which had killed 13 Sikhs in 1978.[28] According to A.R. Darshi, General Gauri Shankar was appointed as the Security Advisor to the Governor and R. S. Dyal was ‘immediate subordinate’ to Lt. General Sunderji (The Gallant Fighter, p. 109).[29] Such heavy artillery, which is used only in open field battles, was arrayed against the defenders of Darbar Sahib, on a Complex where thousands of pilgrims were staying for the night; no warning was given; no one was asked to surrender.[30] Later, on the 7th of June, the Army collected their dead bodies and their weapons from the tank.[31] Chellaney, Brahma, An Eye Account, an article in Abida Samiuddin’s book, The Punjab Crisis: Challenge and Response (Delhi, 1985), p. 181.[32] The Indian Army had already brought several tanks and at least 13 tanks were used in this ‘Operation’.[33] Later, Harjinder Singh Jinda and Sukhdev Singh Sukha punished General Vaidya in his own city Pune, on the 10th of August 1986; both were, later, arrested and sentenced to death; they were hanged on the 9th of October 1992.[34] According to a hearsay account, a Sikh boy of 16 years of age, who had tied explosives to his body, jumped before the tank and destroyed it; and, due to this the tank got bogged down near the Baba Deep Singh Memorial; it was removed much later and that even with much difficulty.[35] The Indian Army brought at least 13 tanks for attack on Darbar Sahib, three of these were taken to theparikarma of Darbar Sahib and the rest were on standby between Darbar Sahib and the Town Hall; to quote Subhash Kirpekar: “I saw two tanks positioned a little distance away from the kotwali, another outside Jallianwala Bagh and three more outside Ghantaghar entrance to Golden Temple complex.” [Amritsar Diary by Subhash Kirpekar, in Abida Samiuddin’s The Punjab Crisis: Challenge and Response, p, 171].[36] Oppression in Punjab, p. 61.[37] Chellaney, Brahma, op. cit., p. 181.[38] Amritsar Diary by Subhash Kirpekar, in Abida Samiuddin’s The Punjab Crisis: Challenge and Response, p. 168.[39] Sunday Times, dated 17.6.1984.[40] For the Sikhs it was not the first unequal battle; they had already fought battles at Chamkaur (7-8.12.1705), Muktsar (29.12.17065), Lohgarh (29-30.11.1710), Gurdas Nangal (April to December 1715), Akal Takht Amritsar (1.12.1764), Saragarhi etc where a few of them fought against hundreds and thousands of invaders.[41] Chellaney, Brahma, op. cit., p. 182.[42] Ibid.[43] In September 1984 Rajiv Gandhi had admitted this figure as 700. (Nayyar, op. cit., P. 108); later, the Army too admitted that ‘troops had to pay high price and suffered heavy casualties’ (Harminder Kaur, op. cit., p 47).[44] White Paper, p. 169.[45] Nayyar, op. cit, p. 109.[46] Brar, K.S., Operation Blue Star (Delhi 1992).[47] Sarna, Jasbir Singh, History o f Sikh Students Federation, (unpublished).[48] This is confirmed by Brahma Challeney, of the Associated Press, who was the only foreign correspondent in Amritsar: “the Sikhs killed during the attack were shot at point-blank range, with their hands tied at the back with their turbans.” The Times, London, dated 14.6.1984.[49] Kumar, Ram Narayan and George Sieberer, The Sikh Struggle (Delhi 1991), p. 265.[50] Mary Anne Weaver, in The Sunday Times, dated 10.6.1984.[51] Darshi, A.R., op. cit., p. 116.[52] Chellany, op. cit., pp 184-85[53] Bhanwar, Harbir Singh, in his book Diary de Panne has given details of such acts; also see ‘Oppression in Punjab’ by C.F.D.[54] Thukral, Gobind, Atrocities on Sikh Children, a report published in India Today, dated 30.9.1984, Kumar, Ram Narayan, op. cit., p. 291.[55] Oppression in Punjab, pp. 76-77.[56] There were about 20000 books, about 500 handwritten volumes of Guru Granth Sahib and several relics. (The Tribune, dated 4.7.1984).[57] Ibid, p. 31 (statement of Kirpal Singh).[58]Operation Bluestar: An Eyewitness Account by Subash Kirepaker, in The Punjab Story, edited by Kuldip Nayyar and Khushwant Singh, op. cit, p. 83.[59] All this was carried under the supervision of Ramesh Inder Singh, the newly appointed D.C. of Amritsar.[60] Chellany, op. cit., p. 182.[61] Ibid.[62] Monthly Probe India, August 1984.[63] Statement of Bhan Singh in Harbir Singh Bhanwar’s Diary de Panne.[64] Indian Express, dated 12.6.1984[65] While speaking on the Indian Government’s ‘White Paper on Punjab Situation’, on the 25th of July 1984, in the Lok Sabha, Vajpayee said: “First of all I want to congratulate those officers who freed Harmandir Sahib, sacred to all the Indians, from terrorists by sacrificing their lives and putting their precious lives in danger…The army had been given a delicate responsibility and the army should be felicitated for accomplishing their duty efficiently and bravely…” (Proceedings of the Lok Sabha, dated 25.7.1984).[66] Hindustan Times dated 10.6.1984. The B.J.P. leaders went to the extent of calling her ‘Durga’ a fictitious Hindu goddess which was shown defeating the demons in fiction works.[67] He called it ‘swift, yet restrained, operation in flushing out terrorists from Golden Temple Complex’ (Hindustan Times, dated 10.6.1984).[68] Indian Express, dated 8.6.1984.[69] Ibid.[70] Ibid.[71] Ibid.[72] Hindustan Times, dated 8.6.1984.[73] Later, Chander Sheikhar sent a fact finding team to the Punjab to know the truth. However, in 1991, when Chander Sheikhar became the Prime Minister of India, in collaboration with and under the blessing of Rajiv Gandhi, he exhibited an altogether different attitude; rather he behaved as a fanatic Hindu and even went to the extent of threatening another massacre of the Sikhs. Earlier he had been demanding an apology for this invasion but when he captured power he himself did not apologise as P.M. (even other Prime Ministers e.g. I. K. Gujral, V.P. Sinh, H.D. Devegauda, Vajpayee, and even puppet prime minister Manmohan Singh, never apologised for attack on Darbar Sahib and atrocities committed on the Sikhs, in spite of the fact that they had known the truth behind the attack; they simply called it ‘sad’, ‘unfortunate’ and ‘it should not happen again’ the Congress Party used Manmohan Singh to apologize for ‘Black November 1984’ pogrom of the Sikhs; and that even after 25 years).[74] Monthly Surya, July 1984.[75] Ibid.[76] The Sunday Times, dated 10.6.1984, Nayyar, Kuldip, op. cit., p. 56.[77] Chellany, Brahma, op. cit., p. 182.[78] Tully, Mark, op. cit., pp. 194-95, Harminder Kaur, op. cit., p. 49.[79] Ibid.[80] Details personally narrated, on the 10th of June 2011, to this author by Lal Singh, one of the rebel soldiers.[81] Indian Express, dated 13.6.1986.[82] Punjab Times, London, dated 15 and 22.6.1984.[83] Indian Express, dated 9.6.1984.[84] Ibid, dated 12.6.1984.[85] Ibid, dated 17.6.1984.[86] At that time, the Indian Government had lied that only 493 Sikhs had been killed (in fact the number was about five thousand).[87] The Sunday Times, dated 15.6.1984.[88] It is remarkable to note that the Sikhs’ rage against the Indian government’s invasion of Darbar Sahib was not just a temporary reaction; in June 2009, even after 25 years of the attack (and again in June 2011), between 25 and 50 thousand Sikhs joined protest procession at London, to commemorate the anniversary of the attack; like protest are observed in every part of the world every year.

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