Revolvers found in Op Bluestar trunks

The mystery shrouding the two trunks seized from the Golden Temple by the Army during Operation Bluestar in 1984 was finally unravelled toda...

The mystery shrouding the two trunks seized from the Golden Temple by the Army during Operation Bluestar in 1984 was finally unravelled today when the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee SGPC authorities opened them in full public view to find two revolvers, cartridges and currency notes of various countries, besides half-melted gold and silver coins.

The two boxes, which had been lying in the treasury office for the past 20 years, were handed over to the SGPC by the Deputy Commissioner8217;s office recently.

The SGPC authorities had been claiming that the boxes contained material pertaining to Sikh Reference Library. However, today SGPC president Bibi Jagir Kaur clearly said: 8216;8216;There is nothing in the boxes which could be said to be belonging to the Sikh Reference Library.8217;8217;

While informing that the SGPC had set up a special committee to open the boxes, secretary Dalmegh Singh also admitted that nothing related to library was found in the boxes, but hoped that it would also surface in due course of time.

Pointing out that the Army had confiscated 150 boxes, Bibi Jagir Kaur said they8217;d only got back two. 8216;8216;We must have the access to other boxes as well,8217;8217; the SGPC chief said.

The SGPC had earlier sought the intervention of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the return of artifacts, rare manuscripts, books, and periodicals relating to Sikh history and culture, which were allegedly taken away by the Indian Army during Operation Bluestar.

While one of the trunks had the civil administration seal and was shown as deposited on July 25, 1987, the other had a military seal and was deposited in the Treasury on July 17, 1984, he said.

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Currency notes of Pakistan, China, Bhutan, Nepal, United States, UK, Cyprus, Malaysia, Netherland, New Zealand, Iraq, Iran, and Libya were found in the trunks.