Terror in Punjab : Narratives Knowledge and Truth

Contents: Introduction. 1. Return of "near normalcy" : truth claims and the politics of justice. 2. The becoming of a nightmare--1984. 3. The Operation Blue Star and the peace process: spin doctoring the international media. 4. Black thunder over the Golden Temple. 5. Deadends of democracy: Khalistan, terrorism and  the poll boycott. 6. What is Sikh dissent?

"This book takes the reader on a voyage into that terrain of recent history of conflict in Punjab which remains cordoned off by the barriers of knowledge raised by the mainstream media and the established scholarship on the subject. It shows how the terror was spawned, sustained and then suppressed behind those barriers. Probing the connections between mass atrocities and the miasma of hegemonic narratives, the book demonstrates that a socially deliberative space of plural understanding of political conflicts is the first prerequisite for the rectification of all abuses of power. Coming from a witness and the biographer of Punjab\'s recent history who remains dedicated to people\'s rights to truth, justice and reparation, the book deserves the attention not only of the students of political conflict and the media but also the community of human rights activists, academics and others who grapple with the issues of historical accountability worldwide." (jacket)