The Partition of India in 1947 remains one of the most traumatic events in Indian history, marked by mass displacement, communal violence, and the loss of countless innocent lives.

While many works have examined women’s experiences of abduction, sexual violence, and trauma during Partition, less attention has been paid to the destruction of young women’s

aspirations and imagined futures. Narinderjit Kaur’s short story “Who Killed Me,” published in The Icicle: A Collection of Short Stories, offers a powerful exploration of this neglected dimension of Partition. Through the experiences of two adolescent girls, Ameena and Nimmo, the story reveals how communal violence and patriarchal notions of honour work together to deny women agency and control over their lives. Rather than focusing solely on physical violence, Kaur highlights the loss of dreams, education, friendship, and self-determination.

Drawing on Partition studies, feminist criticism, and trauma theory, this paper examines the interconnected themes of girlhood, honour, patriarchy, and resistance. It argues that the story can be read as a narrative of stolen futures in which the most devastating loss is not simply death itself, but the destruction of possibilities that never have the chance to be realised. By foregrounding the experiences of young girls, Kaur broadens our understanding of Partition and exposes the lasting impact of gendered violence on women’s ability to imagine and shape their own futures.

Keywords: Partition, Narinderjit Kaur, gendered violence, honour, futurity, girlhood, patriarchy, trauma, women’s agency