The Book “The Kaurs of 1984” captures the stories of Sikh women who endured the violence of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The author was given the task of researching the Sikh massacre of 1984 by Amnesty International. The author found out during the research that women were affected in many ways by the violence and what they have endured is horrifying.
The book for the first time captures the voices and memories of Sikh women. The talks about Operation Blue Star and how it enraged the Sikhs of Punjab, the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards, and the state-supported pogrom of the Sikh community in north India, especially in Delhi. The detailed account of some stories will scare you and make you think how evil and violent a human being can become.
I was nine years old and still remember the news of Indira Gandhi’s assassination caused unrest in our hometown. By evening we were hearing news/rumors of Sikh families being beaten and their homes and properties damaged and burned. My parents were so scared that we along with our landlord and his family moved to an Ashram, as they feared that the violent mob may come into our area. We are not even Sikhs still my parents were scared.
The book includes interviews with many women survivors of the massacre, and each story is horrifying. The details of men butchered and burned alive in front of their eyes, girls and women being raped, children being killed, and their homes and properties burned are chilling. The state’s involvement in the massacre and its apathy towards the victims can fill the readers with rage and frustration. The way the police and elected representatives shunned their responsibilities is appalling but not surprising.
Additionally, the book explores women joining the armed resistance and separatist movements following Operation Blue Star and the Sikh massacre of 1984. Each woman has her story germinating from the chaos and suffering inflicted by the state due to severe human rights violations. The book captures the violence of the 1984 massacre and the violence in Punjab in the late eighties through the eyes of women who have endured it.
“The Kaurs of 1984” is a challenging yet essential read. It confronts the brutal realities of violence and government apathy, urging readers to understand the profound impact of these atrocities on the community and future generations.
