Subsequently, more than 3,000 Sikhs were killed in the ensuing anti-Sikh riots.
Within the Sikh community itself, Operation Blue Star has taken on considerable historical significance and is often compared to what Sikhs call 'the great massacre' by the Afghan invader Ahmad Shah Durrani, the Sikh holocaust of 1762.
Though it's been three decades since the disastrous event, the trauma and rage can still be scene amongst the survivors. This incident changed the history of India forever.
