Operation Blue Star (English, Paperback, Brar K. S.)

Operation Blue Star: The True Story is a historical book based on the true story of this operation and written by the Army officer who led the operation – Lt. General Kuldip Singh Brar.

Summary Of The Book

Operation Blue Star: The True Story is considered one of the most debated and controversial Indian military operations. Commanded by Lt. General Kuldip Singh Brar, the operation’s aim was to get rid of Sikh separatists who took refuge inside the Golden Temple with heavy weapons.

This book is a true account of the entire operation and coming from the operation’s commander, it becomes highly authentic. It is a minutely detailed account that is movingly honest and yet at times anguished. The author has hid nothing from the readers not even the reverses suffered by the Indian Army.

Operation Blue Star: The True Story was ordered by the Prime Minister of India – Indira Gandhi on 3rd June 1984. The operation was launched to remove Sikh separatists who had sought cover in the Golden Temple of Amritsar. They were amassing heavy machine guns and other weapons in this temple. These separatists were led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and former Maj. Gen.Shabeg Singh.

This operation consisted of two components – Operation Metal and Operation Shop. The first one was restricted to the premises of the Golden Temple and the latter was to raid the countryside of Punjab to get hold of any suspects.

The Indian Army was ordered to storm the Amritsar Golden Temple on the night of 5th June 1984. The operation was led by Lt. General K.S. Brar under Gen. Sunderji. By the morning of 7th June, the Army troops had full control of the temple. Before the operation begun, a media blackout was imposed in Punjab. A 36-hour curfew was imposed in the state where electricity was interrupted and all means of transportation and communication were suspended, thereby cutting Punjab from the rest of the world. This operation led to numerous casualties among the militants, army, and even civilians. 

One of the salient features of this book is that it details all the events of the operation in their true sense. Brar has ensured to capture even the miscalculations of the Army and the determination of the Sikh militants. Moreover, he provides photographs, documents to authenticate the facts disclosed here, and detailed operational sketch maps to give credence to this chronological account. The book covers all sorts of unexpected and unwanted traumas, heart-stopping climaxes and inevitable consequences of the Operation Blue Star.

Operation Blue Star has been translated into Punjabi and has ran into numerous reprints.

About Lieutenant- General Kuldip Singh Brar

Lieutenant- General Kuldip Singh Brar is a retired Indian Army officer. He is popularly known for commanding the very controversial Operation Blue Star.

Born in 1934 into a Sikh family, Kuldip Singh Brar belonged to the Brar Jat clan. His father was a retired Major General who had served in World War II.  In 1954, Brar joined the Maratha Light Infantry as a lieutenant. He commanded an infantry battalion in the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War. Later, he was majorly involved in the Operation Blue Star in 1984 ordered by Indira Gandhi. Before retirement, he commanded the Eastern Theatre of India. Moreover, he was appointed for the defence of Bhutan. Various assassination attempts have been made on retired General Kuldip Singh Brar but fortunately he has been saved from all of those. His book Operation Blue Star: A True Story that got published in 1993 has helped many people change their minds.