Pls give a summary on the chapter "the woodrose"
Answers
Summary
Operation Woodrose was a follow up to Operation Bluestar, taking place from June to September 1984.[1][2] It was an operation in which the Indian Army unsuccessfully attempted[3] to wipe out Sikh militancy. The Indian Army went to every village and town to detain suspected militants[4]. In the process, the army detained thousands of young Sikhs in the countryside, many of whom were tortured and murdered.[5] This event is largely unknown because of the strict media censorship imposed by the then ruling government of Indira Gandhi, which was fearful of the instability of the nation and the censorship of the congress party. In the Punjab the operation caused the Indian Army to became very unpopular. [6]
During the operation, General Jamwal was assigned the responsibility to seal the border and General R.S. Dayal was instructed to oversee the apprehension of militants in state of Punjab. [7] Woodrose involved forced entry into thousands of Sikh homes, most of whose inhabitants had committed no crime[8].
Many Sikhs believe that the aim of 'Woodrose' was not to wipe out 'militancy', but was really aimed at wiping out Sikhism by riding Punjab of its Amritdhari's (baptized Sikhs), especially young men.
The way in which the operation was conducted is as follows:
The Indian army would go to villages and pull out the Sikhs, then publicly humiliate Sikhs and then kill most males or detain them. Women also were dishonoured in many ways. The army particluarly targeted young Sikhs and on some occasions were embaressed when just a handful of Sikhs would repel army units, however on the whole the superior numbers of troops and their superior arms kept such successes down. The result was the death of thousands of Sikhs.
Before Operation Woodrose started, Indian PM Indira Gandhi had the following published in magazines:
"Any knowledge of dangerous Amritdhari's who are pledged to commit murders, arson and acts of terrorism, should immediately be brought to the notice of the authorities. These people might appear harmless from outside but they are basically commited to terrorism. In the interest of all of us their identity and whereabouts must always be disclosed."
One famous Sikh story of how the hunted men gained revenge against corrupt army men is the story of Indian Army General Gobind Ram. For more about this story visit