Red Card

Dadhwal turns attention to a group that, in her account, has been largely left out of discussions of Punjab's terrorism: Hindu victims. She looks at how their suffering has been shaped by politics, and what it means to be a victim in a setting where recognition can depend on who is speaking. The opening chapters offer a brief survey of the historical, ideological, and domestic and foreign forces behind the violence that gripped Punjab for roughly ten years, a period whose effects, she argues, are still felt by Hindu communities today.

The book dwells on the human cost. Many Hindu families lost relatives to killings carried out in the name of building Khalistan, while others were driven out of the state and have spent decades waiting for acknowledgement. Dadhwal contrasts this with the United States, where victims of terrorism have organized, lobbied, and taken part in shaping policy and law enforcement. She also documents how the red card issued to victims' families, which unlocks government benefits, has been withheld from many of those affected, leaving them without access to support as well as without justice.

Drawing on fieldwork across Punjab, Haryana, parts of Himachal Pradesh, and Delhi, the author concentrates on the needs and experiences of victims of terrorism and political violence. The work is intended for students of terrorism and political violence interested in the uses of power, the conditions victims face, and the question of whether justice has been applied evenly. It does not aim to deepen divisions between communities.