The Kaurs of 1984 - A Powerful Tale About Abuse of Power

There are some stories that are based on the true-life incidents that happened in India. These stories are horrifying because, till today, no justice has been served to these people. The Untold, Unheard Stories of Sikh Women by Sanam Sutirath Wazir Sikh, is one of them.

The book speaks about powerful topics that have happened in India like rape, and sexual violence, in the prominent cities of Amritsar, and Delhi. Through this author, seeks justice for the men & women of the Sikh community.

A young man decided to research on the Blue Star, after the anti-Sikh riots, and the Sikh genocide, in June 1984. This was in retaliation for the assassination of Indira Gandhi, who was the then PM of India.

What he found during the research, was the fact that many Sikh women witnessed life worse than hell. These women were, unfortunately, stranded inside the Golden Temple. Besides, they had to take to guns to protect themselves.

Moreover, they are rape survivors. The author’s research took him to North India, to meet these women who had these horror tales to tell him. His book is based on the interviews, and deep research that he has done for many years.

The book is a collection of the horror stories of 40 Sikh women who witnessed men from their community, who were murdered, killed, and massacred right in front of them. Likewise, these women were killed, raped, and had to become militants to protect themselves, because those who had to protect them, failed in their duty & responsibility.

Readers get an in-depth analysis of their lives, then & now. Sadly, nothing has changed. They are still awaiting justice to come to them. Readers get to read about a young woman, Nirpreet Kaur, who was a college student back in 1984.

Her father bore the brunt of the crowd and was burnt alive in front of her eyes during the genocide. Today, Kaur has moved to Punjab but decided to use guns. Sadly, she has been jailed because she became a militant.

She has changed and is running an orphanage in Chandigarh. Even today, she picks up her gun in anger, not knowing what to do. Nirpreet Gaur wants justice for her father’s killers. But she is shocked, and beyond surprised to find out that, these very men who were responsible for her father’s death, and the death of many men & women in her community, today are powerful leaders, and even win elections.

Some of the notable chapters in the book include “Chaurasi ki na insafi”, “From pens to guns”, “Militant bride”, “The daughter of a cop”, and “The widows in Delhi”, among others. These are very powerful chapters that could play a significant role in readers, who have a past of abuse, and terror against them.

About the Author

Sanam Sutirath Wazir is a noted human rights activist who is based in Jammu and Kashmir. The author is engaged in documenting historical injustices, and violence throughout the history of independent India.

Through his books, posts, articles, and data, he has managed to gain support from more than 1 million people globally for the victims of the anti-Sikh massacre. Some of his other highly-acclaimed words include ‘An Era ofInjustice for the 1984 Sikh Massacre’, ‘The 1984 Sikh Massacre as Witnessed by a 15-year-old’ and ‘The Continuing Injustice of the 1984 Sikh Massacre.’

Conclusion

The Kaurs is a painful book to read, and readers can visualise the pains that were endured by children, women, and Sikh men during the massacre. Massacre is a very powerful word, that one must not hear often in their life.

It only brings pain, sorrow, sadness, and suffering. Besides, none of it goes away, especially, when you have witnessed your own family getting shot, abused, and murdered in front of you, as a young kid.