Artifact

Collection of the Sikh Reference Library

also Sikh Reference Library, Amritsar

The rare manuscripts, books and hukamnamas of the SGPC's library, removed or destroyed during Operation Blue Star in June 1984. What happened to them is still contested.[Web][Web][Web][Web][Web][Web][Web][Mann][EoS][EoS]

Date: Before June 1984
Held by: Disputed. The SGPC has acknowledged receiving part. The rest is unaccounted for
Location: Originally the Harmandir Sahib complex, Amritsar
Provenance: Documented
Status: Status disputed: In the latest report found (Babushahi, 4 May 2026), Giani Raghbir Singh wrote to the Home Minister seeking records because conflicting claims remain. SGPC acknowledged in June 2019 that it had received 205 manuscripts of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, 807 rare handwritten books and one hukamnama. No published official inventory of the whole was found.

The Tribune (2019) records the SGPC's claim to have held 512 handwritten saroops, some with signatures of Gurus, and 12,613 books before the operation. Other figures differ. Wikipedia gives 2,500 manuscripts, and the SGPC's damage list in its compensation suit cites at least 2,500 birs.

The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism (1992-98) repeatedly records manuscripts as having perished in the library in 1984. Mann (2008) saw a 1695 manuscript there at some point and says a manuscript by the Anandpur scribe Haridas was destroyed in Operation Blue Star.

The present library was rebuilt from donations. Wikipedia gives a 2017 count and says digitising began in 2008.

What is disputed

Fire
The Army has said the library caught fire during the exchange of fire. The SGPC has said the Army burned an empty building after removing the contents. The Tribune (2019) says what happened remains unclear.[Web][Web]
Removal and return
A government answer of 2 December 1998 said the Army gave items to the CBI in July 1984, that the CBI returned them to the SGPC in October 1989, and that a few were destroyed as objectionable. In 2000 a former inspector said material was packed in gunny bags and trunks and taken to an unknown place. The Defence Ministry said in 2009 that everything had been returned.[Web][Web]
The SGPC receipt
In 2019 a former SGPC assistant secretary stood by his signature on a September 1984 receipt but said a handwritten line stating that all material had been received was not there when he signed. The SGPC disputes that everything came back.[Web]
After return
A petition to the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2019 alleged that items returned to the SGPC later went missing. Scholars cited in the 2026 letter raised concern that some manuscripts may have been sold abroad. These are allegations.[Web][Web]

A handwritten copy of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji said to have been struck by a bullet in June 1984, during Operation Blue Star. The source is a Flickr post and the claim is not independently confirmed.
Unknown, Photographed after 1984. Public domain. Source
A page from a manuscript said to have been reduced to ashes in June 1984 with the Sikh Reference Library. The claim comes from a website and a 1991 book, and the fate of the collection is disputed.
Unknown, Manuscript undated. Public domain. Source