New Delhi: India today said it has "noted" the report and the statement made by the UK government that British assistance to India in planning Operation Bluestar to flush out militants from the Golden Temple in 1984 was "purely advisory" and "limited".
"The UK government has kept the Indian government informed on this matter and has also just shared the outcome of the UK government's enquiry with us. We have noted the report and the statement made," the Spokesperson in the External Affairs Ministry said here.
Representational image. Reuters
Presenting a report before the British Parliament, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague today said British military's role in the 1984 Operation Bluestar to flush out militants from the Golden Temple was "limited" and "purely advisory".
Hague said the UK played no role in the actual operation that took place at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
In a statement on the conclusion of an inquiry into alleged British assistance provided by then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Hague said, "The report concludes that the nature of the UK's assistance was purely advisory, limited and provided to the Indian government at an early stage in their planning."
An analysis of nearly 200 files and 23,000 documents has confirmed that a "single British military adviser" travelled to India between February 8 and 19, 1984, to advice Indian intelligence services on contingency plans that they were drawing up for operations against the armed dissidents in the temple complex, including ground reconnaissance of the site.
The probe was ordered by Prime Minister David Cameron after documents released under a 30-year declassification rule stated that an officer of the elite Special Air Service travelled to Delhi and advised the Indian government as it framed plans for removing the militants in February 1984. The information evoked a sharp reaction by some Sikh bodies in India and abroad.
PTI
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