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Article: Alas, poor Punjab. (India)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- September 22, 1990
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1990 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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ONE of Mr V.P. Singh's promises in the
election campaign that brought him to power ten months ago was that he would bring peace to Punjab. If body counts are anything to go by, he has not only failed to keep this promise: he is doing worse than his predecessor, Mr Rajiv Gandhi, whom he blamed for Punjab's brutalisation. Terrorist and counter-terrorist violence in the state claimed a record 600 lives in August; this month the killings have continued at the rate of 18 a day. Mr Singh says he will undertake a padyatra, a pilgrimage on foot, through Punjab for a week starting on October 2nd, Mahatma Gandhi's birthday. It could be a sorry occasion. The security forces ...