Four Sikh men have been found guilty in London of attacking a retired Indian general who led the controversial 1984 assault on the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The attack on Lieutenant General Kuldeep Singh Brar, 78, occurred in September last year while he was on holiday with his wife.
The assault brought renewed attention to Operation Blue Star, the Indian army's operation to flush out Sikh separatists from the Golden Temple, the holiest shrine in Sikhism. The operation caused widespread outrage among Sikhs worldwide, who viewed it as a desecration of their faith. Official figures put the death toll at around 400, but Sikh groups claim thousands died, including many pilgrims.
During the trial at Southwark Crown Court, Lt Gen Brar testified via video-link from India, stating that the operation was not against the Sikh community but against militants. He described how his soldiers faced heavy attack and were forced to defend themselves. The attackers, Mandeep Singh Sandhu, 34, and Dilbag Singh, 36, were children at the time of the raid, but Dilbag Singh's father and brother went missing during the operation.
The court heard that the group conducted reconnaissance missions to track the general's movements. On the night of 30 September, they attacked him and his wife in a street near their hotel. Mrs Brar was thrown against a wall, and her husband was slashed across the throat, requiring emergency surgery. He told the court he thought he would not survive.
All three defendants were convicted of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. A fourth man, Barjinder Singh Sangha, 33, had previously pleaded guilty to the same charge. The police initially treated the incident as attempted murder.
