By Dr. Arun Mitra
As elections approach, new controversies are often manufactured to divert public attention from pressing social and economic concerns. Instead of addressing unemployment, debt, education, healthcare, and development, political discourse is increasingly dominated by emotionally charged issues that deepen divisions and yield electoral gains for those in power.
Punjab has paid a heavy price for conflict. Having endured one of the darkest phases in its history during the 1980s and early 1990s. Its people have worked hard to restore peace and rebuild society. The state’s history, however, is not defined by conflict alone. It is equally a history of courage, sacrifice, and resistance.
For centuries, Punjab stood at the forefront of resistance against foreign invasions. During India’s freedom struggle, it made an extraordinary contribution to the anti-colonial movement. The Ghadar Movement remains a lasting symbol of Punjab’s revolutionary legacy. Freedom fighters such as Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Kartar Singh Sarabha, Sukhdev Thapar, Udham Singh, Lala Lajpat Rai, Teja Singh Sutantar, Sohan Singh Josh and countless Communist revolutionaries inspired generations to fight imperialism and injustice.
After Independence, Punjabis continued to play a vital role in nation-building. Despite its relatively small size, Punjab became India’s food bowl, making an unparalleled contribution to the country’s food security.
Unfortunately, history took a tragic turn following the clash between the Akhand Kirtani Jatha, Damdami Taksal, and the Nirankari congregation on 13 April 1978. This marked the beginning of a prolonged period of instability. Gradually, Punjab became engulfed in terrorism, separatism, and state repression, subjecting its people to years of violence and fear.
According to official figures, between 1981 and 1993, militancy claimed the lives of 21,350 people in Punjab. The victims included 11,690 civilians and political leaders, 1,714 members of the police and paramilitary forces, and 7,946 militants. People from every religion and community suffered during this tragic period.
Initially, the police force was demoralized and hesitant to confront armed militants. The appointment of Julio Ribeiro as Director General of Police marked an important turning point as he restored confidence within the force and encouraged it to defend law, order and communal harmony. He was later succeeded by K.P.S. Gill, under whose leadership the campaign against terrorism intensified.
During these difficult years, large number of cadre of the Communist Party of India sacrificed their lives in the defense of country’s integrity & sovereignty and popularized the slogan “Na Hindu Raj, Na Khalistan,” reflecting its opposition to both communal majoritarianism and separatism. Equally significant was the remarkable restraint shown by the people of Punjab during all this period. Never during the whole period and even after the horrific anti-Sikh massacres of 1984, Punjab witnessed retaliatory communal riots, demonstrating the resilience of its social fabric.
As militancy expanded, extremist groups began using religious places as operational bases. The deteriorating situation culminated in Operation Blue Star in June 1984. The military action deeply wounded the sentiments of a large section of the Sikh community. Although the damaged Akal Takht was reconstructed by the government, it was later rebuilt again by the Sikh community itself.
The aftermath of these events eventually led to the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Whether Operation Blue Star was unavoidable or whether alternative approaches could have been pursued remains a matter of continuing debate. What cannot be disputed is that Punjab at that time was engulfed in fear. Militants imposed curfews, issued diktats regulating daily life, instructed people not to celebrate Independence Day, and even enforced dress codes, particularly for women. There was deep feeling of fear and mistrust among the people irrespective of community or religious affiliations.
When militancy resurged, Operation Black Thunder was launched in 1986 under the Akali government, followed by a prolonged operation in 1988 that successfully flushed militants from the Sri Harmandir Sahib complex. Unlike Operation Blue Star, Black Thunder was conducted with considerably greater transparency and consequently generated little public resentment.
Important questions nevertheless remain unanswered. How did such large quantities of sophisticated weapons reach one of Sikhism’s holiest shrines? It is also evident that sections of the separatist movement received financial and political support from Pakistan and hard-line groups based in Canada and the United Kingdom. Imperialist forces clearly exploited Punjab’s internal crisis in pursuit of their broader geopolitical objectives.
The period also exposed grave flaws in tackling the situation by the central government and abuses by state agencies. While thousands of police personnel fought courageously against terrorism, there were several instances of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, illegal extortion, and abuse of power. Some officials and other persons accumulated enormous wealth by exploiting the prevailing lawlessness. These violations eroded public confidence and deepened resentment. At the same time, terrorist groups carried out brutal attacks on ordinary citizens, alienating the very population they claimed to represent. As public support steadily declined, terrorism gradually weakened and had largely been defeated by 1993.
Justice remains elusive for thousands of victims. Many families were wiped out overnight. Narinder Sohal, now State Secretary of the Punjab Istri Sabha, witnessed murder of her family by the terrorists when she was a young child. The lifelong trauma suffered by survivors like her cannot be measured. Thousands of children lost parents, education, security, and opportunities. Their stories deserve recognition alongside every other victim of that violent period. History cannot be understood through selective memory; it demands a comprehensive and balanced assessment.
The prolonged conflict also devastated Punjab’s economy. Fear, uncertainty, and mistrust triggered migration, discouraged investment, weakened industry, and slowed economic growth. The social consequences continue to be felt decades later.
It is therefore deeply unfortunate that attempts are once again being made to derive political advantage from those painful events. In this context, the central government’s decision first to approve and then to withdraw the film Satluj from an OTT platform raises serious questions. This appears to have been purposefully done to create communal divide rather than promoting reconciliation. At the same time, films such as The Kashmir Files, Dhurandhar, and The Kerala Story—whose narratives have been widely contested by critics and historians—were not only released but also publicly endorsed by the Prime Minister himself. Ironically, the attempt to suppress Satluj only increased public curiosity, leading many people across Punjab to watch it through unofficial channels.
Jaswant Singh Khalra painstakingly documented alleged illegal police killings by examining cremation ground records and official documents. He was later abducted and disappeared. The recent film ‘Satluj’ in which Diljit Dosanjh has played a lead role, has reportedly been screened privately across numerous villages, and a substantial section of Punjab’s population has already watched it.
Societies should neither erase difficult chapters of history nor exploit them for political gain. The past must be studied honestly, debated rationally, and understood in its entirety so that future generations can avoid repeating the same mistakes. Germany, for instance, does not glorify Adolf Hitler, yet the concentration camps remain preserved as memorials that educate future generations about the dangers of fascism.
Punjab today is far more peaceful than it was three decades ago. Yet new challenges have emerged. Organized crime, drug trafficking, extortion and transnational criminal networks increasingly threaten public security. Reports of large-scale ransom demands involving law enforcement officials reflect the seriousness of the situation.
Meanwhile, Punjab’s economic condition continues to deteriorate. The state’s debt has risen to alarming levels, unemployment continues to grow, and thousands of vacancies remain unfilled across public services. Education and healthcare are steadily moving beyond the reach of ordinary citizens, while agriculture, industry, and employment require urgent policy attention.
Punjab has already paid too high a price for hatred and division. The need of the hour is not to reopen old wounds for electoral gains but to strengthen social harmony, defend democratic values, generate employment, improve education and healthcare, revive the economy, and secure a better future for coming generations. Public debate should be directed towards these urgent challenges rather than issues that risk disturbing social peace and weakening the bonds of mutual trust and coexistence. (IPA Service)
