
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Sukhbir Badal met Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday to demand a proper inquiry into Operation Bluestar - the military operation carried out in 1984 to flush out heavily-armed terrorists holed up in Sikh holy shrine Golden Temple in Amritsar.
Thursday marks 35 years since Operation Bluestar.
Badal's wife and Union minister Harsimrat Kaur had earlier asked for a similiar inquiry. Speaking to some mediapersons, she said the government must investigate the conspiracy angle in storming of Sikhs' holy shrine.
Markets around the Golden Temple in Punjab's Amritsar remained closed for several hours amid protests by Sikh hardliners in the complex on Thursday. Later in the afternoon, the shops around the temple and in the main markets started reopening.
The partial bandh was observed in the city on a call given by a radical Sikh outfit.
The Akal Takht also organised prayers in memory of those killed in the military operation and some people raised slogans at the end.
Policemen in civil clothes were deployed along with the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee's (SGPC) task force to thwart any attempt to disturb law and order. The SGPC is the apex religious body of the Sikhs.
There was heavy barricading around the Akal Takht in the premises of the Golden Temple to prevent any untoward incident. More than 3,000 security were deployed to maintain law and order.