A Punjab village in the middle of June 1984. The sun is about to rise. The villagers are getting ready to begin their usual routine of farm work, to leave for jobs or to go to the local Gurdwara. The raagis are singing Guru Nanak's Var Assa, a composition set in the morning raga of Assa. The divine music is wafting across the village.

All of a sudden, the keertan is interrupted. Someone takes the mike and announces: The army men have arrived. No body is allowed to enter or leave the village. All exit points are under their guard. Every able-bodied male is ordered to assemble at the village dharamsala, a common place, within fifteen minutes.

The announcement startles the unwary villagers. They feel stunned and scared. It shocks their psyche, which has recently been lacerated by the Indian Army's operation 'Blue Star' against their holy shrine, Darbar Sahib or Golden Temple and many other Gurdwaras.

A pal of eerie silence descends on the village. The male population walks gingerly to the appointed place. Nobody knows what is in store for him. Soon, hundreds of them huddle outside the dharamsala.

Most of them are silent contributors to Punjab's Green Revolution, which made the nation self-sufficient in food grains. They also include the relatives of those who faced imprisonment, tortures and even death in India's struggle for freedom from the British. The village had its share of casualties resulting from battles fought against the neighboring countries to defend this freedom.

A few ex-officers of the defense forces too squat among today's disconcerted gathering. So do the elected members of the village panchayat.

A uniformed army Major and his squad of armed soldiers arrive there. They position themselves before the gathering and cast scrutinizing looks on the villagers. Without sharing any purpose or authorization for this visit with the people, the officer points at a Sikh youth and motions him to come forward. Then he asks a panchayat member to follow.

The bewildered youth, accompanied by the panch and escorted by two soldiers, is ordered to march off to his house. Their mission being to search that residence for some hidden men or weapons.

Many young Sikhs are similarly targeted. More than a score of houses are scoured in this way. Fortunately, nothing incriminating or objectionable is detected during this exercise of about five hours. Till noon, the villagers sit there like criminals; all their activities suspended.

When the officer declares the action over, the village unfreezes and finds solace in the fact that no youth has been rounded up to be tortured or incarcerated under TADA (Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act).

Nevertheless, treating the innocent citizens as suspects and showing them that their rights and dignity do not matter is no small punishment. Isn't it scratching their wounded psyche?

Almost every village of Punjab experienced this trauma.