Amritsar:
Construction work of a memorial for those killed during the Operation Blue Star commenced in the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar today.
Akal Takht Jathedar Gurbachan Singh, SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar, members of various Sikh religious and political outfits and a large number of devotees were present when the construction work began.
The memorial is being built near the historic building of Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs.
The SGPC, a religious body responsible for upkeep of Sikh shrines, has entrusted the work for constructing the memorial to Harnam Singh Dhuma, chief of Dam-Dami Taksal, a radical Sikh outfit.
Operation Blue Star was launched by the Army in 1984 to flush out militants from the Golden Temple.
Militant leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, his associates and some devotees were killed in the operation.
The Sikh community for the past one decade has been demanding a memorial for those killed in the operation.