Youth consciousness in Punjab from 1966 to 1993 a study of Naxalite movement and Sikh separatism

Abstract

In post-Partition Punjab, three major political movements occurred: a peaceful Punjabi Suba Movement and two violent movements, namely the Naxalite Movement and the Sikh Separatist Movement or the Khalistan Movement. The present study focuses on the period 1966 93, during which the two-armed movements i.e., Naxalite Movement that began in late 1960s which aimed to capture power and establish a classless society based on the ideas of Marx, Lenin, and Mao and the Sikh Separatist Movement, began in early 1980s intended to establish a religion-based separate State. The principal difference between the two was that the first was based on classconsciousness while another was on identity-consciousness. The idealistic youth of Punjab had romantic notions of a revolution and joined the uprising to go down in history as heroes. Malwa region of Punjab is a historical hub of peasant movements and this region was most affected by the Naxalite Movement. The study found that economic background of the cadres was a dominant factor responsible for their mobilisation. The Sikh Separatist Movement emerged under the influence of young fundamentalist Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, when he took several hundred refuges with heavily armed within the precincts of the Golden Temple, that seems running a parallel administration and challenging the authority of the Centre. The most of youngster participants in this movement were between 18 to 25 years of old. To sum up, both the movements were crushed by ruthless repression by the state. newline