[[File:Sikh Reference Library Burned.jpg|thumb|right|There is controversy surrounding the government's version of events on what happened to historical manuscripts, books, and artifacts before the Sikh Reference Library was burned.]]
The '''Sikh Reference Library''' was a repository of over 1,500 rare manuscripts located in the [[Harmandir Sahib]] (Golden Temple) at [[Amritsar]], [[Punjab (India)|Punjab]] which was destroyed by India during [[Operation Blue Star]].<ref name="tribune_fire_2003">{{cite news|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030607/windows/note.htm|title=Fire of controversy in Sikh library still smoulders|last=Walia|first=Varinder|date=7 June 2003|work=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]]|accessdate=21 February 2011}}</ref> In 1984, the library's contents were confiscated by the [[Central Bureau of Investigation]] (CBI) and the empty building allegedly burned to the ground by the [[Indian Army]]. In recent years the [[Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee]] (SGPC) has attempted to recover the looted material but has not yet recovered substantial materials. To date, the status of library manuscripts and artifacts is unclear; the vast majority remain in the hands of the government, a few office files and passports were returned, and as many as 117 items were destroyed for being "seditious" materials.<ref name="tribune_fire_2003" />
