The Legacy Of Militancy In Punjab: Long Road To Normalcy. This item is unavailable.The Legacy Of Militancy In Punjab: Long Road To Normalcy

No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it′s not the same river and he′s not the same man―Heraclitus

Militancy convulsed Punjab from roughly 1984 to 1994. Afterwards, politicians, government spokespersons and assorted intellectuals declared that ‘Khalistan’ was gone and the state was ‘returning to normalcy’ as though the state would suddenly find itself in some pleasant place of bygone era. But that is far from the truth.In reality, when the gunfire ceased, 10 years of turmoil left lasting scars and chronic afflictions. Reduced accountability warped administrative and executive ‘culture’ and threat perception coloured the attitude of the judiciary for years. Victimization at the hands of both police and insurgents created risk-averse citizens who prioritized personal safety above all, while policies pertaining to state debt and industry impacted economic development.This book recounts the no-holds-barred struggle to suppress militancy that morphed into an unrestricted abuse of power. It details how militancy affected the credibility of the judiciary, why trials dragged on for 25 years, how militancy influenced the popular culture and how the youth are still responding to conditions in today’s Punjab.

Inderjit Singh Jaijee is well known in Punjab for his work to ensure education for rural children whose fathers have committed suicide as well as for his advocacy of civil rights and human rights. In the course of this work, he has been arrested 17 times and imprisoned five times. He remains active in this cause. The organizations with which he is associated―the Baba Nanak Educational Society and the Movement Against State Repression―are both scrupulously apolitical and non-sectarian.

Until 1983, he was a marketing executive for Dunlop India Ltd. In that year, as the situation in Punjab deteriorated, he took voluntary retirement and returned to Punjab. He was elected to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on the Akali ticket in 1985, but he resigned in 1986 in a protest against government actions at the Golden Temple.

Dona Suri came to India at the age of 22 and has remained here ever since. She looks back on 35 years as an editor, starting her career with India Today and subsequently working for The Tribune, The Indian Express and Hindustan Times. She retired as associate editor from Hindustan Times. She provided editorial and research assistance in Inderjit Singh Jaijee’s previous two books and has written two books of science history for young readers (The Story of Iron and The Story of Copper).