Overview

Punjab was the arena of one of the first major armed conflicts of post-colonial India. During its deadliest decade, as many as 250,000 people were killed. This book makes an urgent intervention in the history of the conflict, which to date has been characterized by a fixation on sensational violence—or ignored altogether. Mallika Kaur unearths the stories of three people who found themselves at the center of Punjab’s human rights movement: Baljit Kaur, who armed herself with a video camera to record essential evidence of the conflict; Justice Ajit Singh Bains, who became a beloved “people’s judge”; and Inderjit Singh Jaijee, who returned to Punjab to document abuses even as other elites were fleeing. Together, they are credited with saving countless lives. Braiding oral histories, personal snapshots, and primary documents recovered from at-risk archives, Kaur shows that when entire conflicts are marginalized, we miss essential stories: stories of faith, feminist action, and the power of citizen-activists.

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9783030246730

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An exceptionally unique and major contribution to this extensive literature. ... A particular strength of the book are the personal stories and narratives offered by Mallika Kaur's interviewees, which give the reader a rare glimpse ... . The product is a very readable but intellectually engaging book which is equally valuable for novices who wish to learn more about Sikh history and the Punjab conflict, and also for established scholars of Punjab, Indian democracy, human rights and legal studies. (Jugdep S. Chima, Journal of Sikh & Punjab Studies JSPS, Vol. 28 (1), 2021) Excellent book examining the human rights dimension of the conflict in the Indian Punjab should be of interest to scholars, policy makers, journalists, diplomats, and practitioners. Mallika Kaur crafts an inspiring book that greatly contributes to the human rights literature ... . Kaur furnishes a profoundly human story full of wit, poetry, and meaning that opens a fascinating window into the Sikh community, both in India and abroad. The interdisciplinary nature of the book is one of its main strengths. (Andreas E. Feldmann, Human Rights Quarterly, Vol. 43 (2), May, 2021)

Author Information

Mallika Kaur is a lawyer and writer who focuses on human rights, with a specialization in gender and minority issues. She received her Master in Public Policy from Harvard University, USA, and her Juris Doctorate from the UC Berkeley School of Law, USA, where she currently teaches.

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