From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was the leader of Damdami taksal, a radical Sikh organization based in the Punjab. He became famous in the late 1970s as a religious preacher. But soon he got involved in state politics and revived the demand of a separate Sikh state. His influence grew so fast that the political leadership saw him as danger to themselves.
He established his headquarters in the Golden Temple, located in Amritsar and began fortifying the complex with arms. When the Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, decided to storm the temple to have him evicted, a fierce battle broke out in which hundreds of people died including Bhindranwalae. He became a martyr in eyes of most Sikhs.
