When Chandigarh lost its young sons
The year was 1990, and I was a student at Government College, Sector 11, Chandigarh, when the Mandal Commission agitation erupted across the country. Chandigarh, too, witnessed intense student protests, with dharnas staged at various locations, including Sector 40 and Sector 37 near my home.
One fateful evening, tragedy struck when indiscriminate firing by unknown assailants at these protest sites claimed the lives of eight young boys. Among them was my dear friend and classmate, while another suffered severe injuries. The horror and grief of that night remain etched in my memory.
To honour their sacrifice, a ‘samadhi’ now stands at the site where these young lives were lost. Even today, as I pass by, the memories of that dark chapter in Chandigarh’s history flood back — reminding us of the cost of dissent and the price paid by innocent youth.
Sanjay Khurana, Chandigarh
