British Sikh Members of Parliament Warinder Juss and Jas Athwal on Thursday reiterated their demand in the UK Parliament for an independent investigation into the involvement of the then Margaret Thatcher-led Conservative government in India's Operation Bluestar in June 1984.
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Juss, who represents the governing Labour Party in Wolverhampton West in northern England, and Athwal, who is the Labour MP for Ilford South in the east of the country, raised the matter during the “Business of the House” session with the Leader of the House of Commons, Lucy Powell.
They highlighted the 41st anniversary of the Indian military operation at Golden Temple and pointed to Powell's assurance to their fellow Sikh Labour MP, Tan Dhesi, earlier this year of the “need to get to the bottom of what happened”.
“Documents revealed in 2014 showed that the Thatcher government had helped their Indian counterpart by providing advice for Operation Bluestar,” said Juss.
“Since 2014 there have been many calls to establish the extent of the British government's involvement, and many assurances have been given. Will the Leader of the House give a statement to the House announcing an independent, judge-led public inquiry to, in her own words, get to the bottom of what happened,” he asked.
Powell responded by acknowledging the concerns of members of the country's Sikh community but said she did not have an update since the last time the matter was raised in Parliament in early January.
“When I was asked about this issue previously, I did follow up, and I am sorry to say that I am still waiting,” she said.
Athwal intervened later during the session to highlight that this week coincides with the anniversary of Operation Bluestar.
He said: “Some 41 years later, questions about British involvement in the desecration of the holiest Sikh site in Amritsar remain unanswered. Labour promised in its 2017 and 2019 manifestos to hold an inquiry, and the Prime Minister [Keir Starmer] and the Deputy Prime Minister [Angela Rayner] pledged to do so before the last election.
“Will the Leader of the House allow time for an update from the Foreign Secretary on the progress of implementing that inquiry and ensure that promises made in opposition are fulfilled in government?”
Powell reiterated that she understood how important it was for the British Sikh community to see “progress on this issue”.
“That is the second time that it has been raised with me this morning. I will ensure that the Foreign Secretary [David Lammy] is aware of the concerns being raised again on the Floor of the House and that the update I previously asked for is made available to Members and this House,” she said.
The first demand for an independent inquiry arose a few years ago when it emerged that British military advice was given to Indian forces prior to Operation Bluestar.
The then British Prime Minister, David Cameron, had ordered an internal review into this discovery, which led to a statement in Parliament declaring that Britain's role had been purely “advisory” and the Special Air Service advice had “limited impact" on Operation Bluestar.
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