When Chandigarh lost its young sons

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Sanjay Khurana

Updated At : 06:58 PM Feb 22, 2025 IST

Illustration: Sandeep Joshi

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

The Tribune, now published from Chandigarh, started publication on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan). It was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is run by a trust comprising five eminent persons as trustees.

The Tribune, the largest selling English daily in North India, publishes news and views without any bias or prejudice of any kind. Restraint and moderation, rather than agitational language and partisanship, are the hallmarks of the newspaper. It is an independent newspaper in the real sense of the term.

The Tribune has two sister publications, Punjabi Tribune (in Punjabi) and Dainik Tribune (in Hindi).

Remembering Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia

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