Sufferings of Punjabi women during militancy 1980-1993

Pages: 168-171
Kanwaljit Kaur (Department of History, Punjabi University, Patiala, Punjab)

Punjab politics has been dominated by religious and communal considerations of the political or socio- religious leaders of the state. Religion, Language and caste have been the predominant symbols in Punjab politics in the post- independent era. The decade of the eighties could be labelled as the darkest period in the history of post- independent Punjab. The militant movement, starting from the now famous chowk Mehta headquarters, shifting to the Golden Temple and border districts, finally spread out into other areas, encompassing in its grip not only the Union territory and Capital Chandigarh but also the neighboring States of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, etc. The present research paper examines about the gendered violence, rape, murders on the name of bad characters or police informer, displacement and health issues in Punjab during 1980-1993 from feminist perspective and analysis the violation of women’s rights such as reproductive, maternal and emotional. It also focuses on the conceptual framework of ethnicity and violence and on the role of women as supporters and activists during militant period in Punjab. Further, it discusses how women become the targets in these conflicts between the militants, Security Forces and opposing groups. How widows and half widows, mothers and daughters faced mental and emotional trauma when their male counterparts or male family members were murdered and disappeared and how they manage their household after went through a crucial period. As the problem undertaken for research is more historical in nature, the methodology adopted for research has been historical and analytical based on primary and secondary sources. Interviews were conducted with the effected women to get a clear picture of the communal problem as perceived and presented by these sections. Apart from this the census records and the different government publications constitute the primary sources. The relevant books, journals and newspapers have been used as secondary sources of information.