Army officer who led Operation Blue Star attacked in London

London: Lt General Kuldip Singh Brar, who led the Operation Blue Star against Sikh terrorists in 1984, was attacked and injured with a sharp-edged weapon outside a hotel in London at around 10 pm on Sunday night. He is reported to be out of danger now.

The incident took place at Old Quebec Street near Hyde Park when Brar was out with his wife. The couple are in London on a private visit and are expected to return to India by Tuesday. Gen Brar was attended by the London Ambulance Service (LAS) after the incident.

Sources of Ministry of External Affairs said that the Indian High Commission officials in Britain have been informed and they are in constant touch with Brar and his wife. The sources said that the identity of the attacker was yet not known but police have lodged a case.

"Motive of the attack was not clear so far. Lt Gen Brar had received minior injuries but he has been discharged from the hospital now," said Scotland Yard, which is investigating the incident.

A Yard spokesman said: "Officers and LAS attended the scene and discovered a man, aged in his 70s, suffering from an injury believed caused by a knife".

Sources said External Affairs Minister SM Krishna, who is in New York, called up the Indian High Commissioner J Bhagwati to know about the condition of Gen Brar, who has been on the hit-list of various extremists and militant organisations 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.

The 78-year-old former Army officer is a Z-category protectee and is a decorated soldier who also saw action in the 1971 war with Pakistan. He was among the first to enter Dhaka to force the Pakistani army to surrender.

(With additional information from PTI)

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