Amritsar: Terror victims demand panel to reveal ‘full truth’ of militancy era

Amid the controversy surrounding the film “Satluj”, based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra and highlighting alleged extrajudicial killings during Punjab’s militancy era, the All India Terrorist Victims’ Association has demanded the constitution of a Truth, Accountability and Reconciliation Commission to present what it described as the “complete truth” of that period.

The association said that while Khalra’s efforts and sacrifices in exposing the issue of unidentified and unclaimed bodies deserved recognition, the experiences of families who lost their loved ones to terrorism had largely remained unheard. It also alleged that many victims’ families were still awaiting relief and rehabilitation benefits announced decades ago by the Punjab Government and the Central Government.

Dr BR Hastir, chairman of the association, which was formed in 1998 to fight for the rights of terrorism victims, said the proposed commission should be headed by a sitting or retired judge of the Supreme Court or a high court.

“It is appropriate to make a film on Jaswant Singh Khalra and his struggle to expose alleged police excesses. However, that is only one side of Punjab’s tragic past. The suffering of hundreds of families who lost their loved ones to terrorism must also be acknowledged,” he said, adding that banning the movie was not a solution.

More than three decades after the peak of militancy, hundreds of affected families continue to await justice and adequate rehabilitation, Hastir said.

“The Central Government should constitute a Truth, Accountability and Reconciliation Commission to comprehensively examine the events of the militancy period and ensure that all victims receive justice,” he added.

Recalling her ordeal, Pawna Devi said she lost her husband, Pritam Chand, in the twin bomb blasts in Amritsar in June 1988. Pritam Chand worked at the well-known Gurdas Ram Jalebi Wala shop in Katra Ahluwalia in the walled city. “The truth has never fully come out. Many families are still living with the trauma of those years and continue to struggle to rebuild their lives,” she said. Pawna Devi was later appointed as a sewadar in PUDA on compassionate grounds.

Another victim, Varsha Sharma, of Ghanupur Kale village, said terrorists entered her house and shot dead her husband, Sugriv Raj Sharma, in June 1990.

“Successive governments have done little for the welfare of militancy victims. Many affected families continue to live in distress,” she said.