New Delhi/London: Lieutenant general (retired) K.S. Brar, who led Operation Blue Star against Sikh terrorists in 1984, was attacked and injured in London.
Brar, 78, a Z-category protectee, was stabbed by four men outside a hotel here, people familiar with the matter said, adding that the former armyman received minor injuries and was taken to a hospital. Later, he was discharged. It was not immediately confirmed who the attackers were.
Sources said the military attache at the Indian High Commission in London has rushed to check on the decorated former military officer, known for leading the operations against Sikh terrorists holed up in the Golden Temple, Amritsar, in 1984. They said the incident took place at 0100 IST on Old Quebec Street near Hyde Park when he was out with his wife. The couple are in London on a private visit.
Brar was attended by the London Ambulance Service (LAS).
Scotland Yard told PTI that investigations were continuing but no arrests had been made so far. A Yard spokesman said, “Officers and LAS attended the scene and discovered a man, aged in his 70s, suffering from an injury believed (to be) caused by a knife.”
He added, “The man has been taken to hospital where he remains in a serious condition—his injuries are not believed to be life threatening.”
Sources said external affairs minister S.M. Krishna, who is in New York, called up Indian high commissioner J. Bhagwati to know about the condition of Brar, who has been on the hitlist of various extremists and militant organizations after his central role in Operation Blue Star in 1984.
The operation was aimed to flush out Sikh terrorists led by Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale from the Golden Temple, who was demanding a separate state for Sikhs called Khalistan. Brar is a decorated soldier who saw action in the 1971 war with Pakistan. He was among the first to enter Dhaka to force the Pakistani army into surrender. PTI
