British government accused of covering up role in Amritsar massacre of Sikhs

Sikh Federation report attacks 'culture of secrecy' and calls previous review a 'whitewash'

In this file photo from 6 June, 1984, Indian troops take up position on rooftops around the Golden Temple in Amritsar (AP)

The Government has been accused of covering up the extent of Britain’s support for India’s crackdown on Sikhs in 1984, prompting concerns that there is an “undemocratic and unsustainable” culture of secrecy around UK special forces.

A new report has called for a full inquiry into the role played by Margaret Thatcher’s government in the events leading up to a massacre, which left hundreds, possibly thousands, of Sikhs and Indian soldiers dead.

In 2014, David Cameron ordered a review after previously secret documents appeared to show possible SAS involvement in the 1984 Amritsar massacre.

The papers, made public for the first time under the 30-year rule, indicate that a British officer helped the Indian authorities come up with a plan to remove Sikh separatists from the city’s Golden Temple.

They also showed that the plan, known as Operation Blue Star, was carried out with the full knowledge of the Thatcher government.

When the Indian army did mobilise to clear out the occupying Sikhs, there were catastrophic consequences. The precise death toll from Operation Blue Star is still disputed, from around 400 according to the Indian government to Sikh estimates in excess of a thousand.

The move was considered good for the “bilateral relationship” at a time of potential defence-related sales, according to the review released by Cabinet Secretary Jeremy Heywood.

The new report, published by the Sikh Federation UK, described Cameron’s review as a “whitewash”, and claims that attempts to expose the full facts have been thwarted by government secrecy rules and conflicts of interest.

According to the Sikh Federation’s report, immediately after the SAS officer carried out his reconnaissance with an Indian special forces unit, the Sikhs pulled out of peace talks believing they had seen a commando unit move into the city.

It suggests the UK was keen to help India because the country was one of its biggest purchasers of military equipment between 1981 and 1990.

The author of the report, Phil Miller, said: “The Government needs to finally come clean about Thatcher’s role in the Amritsar massacre and India’s crackdown on Sikhs.

“Whitehall censorship of historical files is like an old boys’ club that prevents the public from ever knowing how taxpayers’ money was spent. This culture of secrecy around Britain’s special forces and intelligence agencies is undemocratic and unsustainable.”

Bhai Amrik Singh, chair of the Sikh Federation (UK) said: “This report casts serious doubts on the adequacy and integrity of the in-house Heywood review commissioned by Cameron.

“There has been a massive cover-up and parliament and the public have been disturbingly misled. An independent public inquiry to get to the truth is the only way forward.”

A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesman said: “All sensitivity reviewers at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office work strictly in accordance with the Public Records Act.

"Every redaction must be justified in terms of the Act, and is subject to review by the Advisory Council of the National Records and Archives. Redacted documents remain subject to the Freedom of Information Act.”