1984: A Sikh Story – BBC

Sonia Deol | BBC | Asia Samachar | 5 June 2015

The attack by the Indian army on Harmandir Sahib, popularly known as the Golden Temple, in 1984 ‘should never have happened’, concludes a 2009 BBC documentary presented by Sonia Deol.

We pull out the link to the one-house documentary entitled 1984: A Sikh Story as we remember and reflect on the tragic event that took place 31 years ago.

“It was ill thought out and the repecurssion were devastating. I used to think 1984 was all about politics. Now I think its abiout the innocent people and the high price that they had to pay. I can never again visit Indian without feeling the grief and sadness of those I’ve met,” the presenter, whose real name is Jaswinder Kaur Sidhu, tells at the end of the documentary.

“It [Harmandir Sahib] will always be a beautiful and a sacred place, but the blood stains on the marble have told me a different story, which would be impossible to forget.”

When first aired, the documentary did not go down well with some segment of the Sikhs, who protested against it.

They have a point. First and foremost, it is not a deep, investigative work on what led to the attack. It touches some of the issues, but never drilling deep into any of the issues.

Still, there is merit in the documentary.

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