From 1984 to 1995, Indian security forces arbitrarily detained, tortured, extrajudicially executed and "disappeared" tens of thousands of Sikhs during counterinsurgency operations against Sikh militants, who were also responsible for many abuses. None of the key government officials who bear substantial responsibility for these atrocities have been brought to justice. Based on a detailed analysis of key legal cases and interviews with survivors, "Protecting the Killers: A Policy of Impunity in Punjab, India" examines the impunity enjoyed by Indian security and other officials and the near total failure of India's judicial and state institutions to provide accountability to the survivors. In order to end the institutional defects that foster impunity in Punjab and elsewhere in the country, the government should take new legal and practical steps, including the establishment of a commission of inquiry, a special prosecutor's office and an extensive reparations program. Punjab remains a critical opportunity for the Indian government to show people around the country and the world that it can end impunity, deliver justice, and operate under the rule of law.