Militancy convulsed Punjab from roughly 1984 to 1994. Afterwards, politicians, government spokespersons and assorted intellectuals declared that ‘Khalistan’ was gone and the state was ‘returning to normalcy’ as though the state would suddenly find itself in some pleasant place of the bygone era. But that is far from the truth. In reality, when the gunfire ceased, 10 years of turmoil left lasting scars and chronic afflictions. This book recounts the no-holds-barred struggle to suppress militancy that morphed into an unrestricted abuse of power. It details how militancy affected the credibility of the judiciary and influenced popular culture, why trials dragged on for 25 years and how the youth are still responding to conditions in today’s Punjab.