Mark Tully's book sketch guided Operation Black Thunder in Punjab

CHANDIGARH: Police and armed forces might have had detailed maps and intelligence on all key places of militants in Punjab after Operation Bluestar that concluded on June 6, 1984. But elite commandos who undertook a similar operation at the Golden Temple two years later had photocopies of a rough one-dimensional sketch that was part of BBC journalists Mark Tully and Satish Jacob's book ' Amritsar: Mrs Gandhi's last battle'.

These revelations were made by Colonel (retd) KD Pathak (73) who had commanded 52-Special Action Group (SAG) of National Security Guard (NSG) that carried out operation Black Thunder-I in 1986 to flush out Sikh activists from Golden Temple. Besides photocopies from the book, some aerial pictures of the premises were all they got in the name of intelligence.

"The agencies had no information about the buildings of the temple we were supposed to enter," said Pathak who is credited with raising special forces units in the Indian Army. "Carrying out an operation inside an urban, built-up area on the basis of sketches published in a book was useless."

Fortunately he and his men had visited the Golden Temple before Black Thunder-I. "We had the maps in our heads after the visit. This also allowed us to offer prayers at the temple," he added.

He said that it was the maps, briefings and model of the Golden Temple provided by brains of NSG veterans that ensured the operation's success. Settled in Chandigarh after retirement, Pathak has the rare distinction of raising Special Security Group (SSG) that functions under the Cabinet secretariat and a special unit called 'Hijack Busters' of the NSG.

In 1985, military and police force deployed around the Golden Temple complex was withdrawn. Some separatist groups started mobilizing inside the temple and founded the Panthik Committee. During Baisakhi celebrations in April 1986, the committee declared the formation of Khalistan.

Considering it a serious threat, the then Punjab chief minister SS Barnala sought central government's intervention which sent NSG to flush out the separatists. Black Thunder-I was completed in one night without any casualties.