NEW DELHI: BJP on Sunday organised a protest march in West Delhi’s Hari Nagar, demanding an apology from the Congress and its leader Rahul Gandhi for the 1984 anti-Sikh violence, as the INDIA bloc held its ‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’ rally at Ramlila Maidan.Leading the march, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri described the killings of Sikhs in 1984 as a “well-planned” massacre rather than a riot or spontaneous outbreak of violence. He cited official figures showing that 2,733 Sikhs were killed in Delhi during the violence.“It was a well-planned massacre and a genocide and crime against humanity as pointed by the courts, not any spontaneous riot. Congress leaders should think seriously about it,” Puri said, addressing protesters before the march, according to news agency PTI.Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta, Delhi BJP president and Union minister of state Harsh Malhotra, Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa and senior advocate H S Phoolka were among those who participated. Several Sikh leaders and members of the community also joined the march from the Sikh-majority areas of Hari Nagar towards Tilak Nagar.Protesters wearing black headbands raised slogans against the Congress and Gandhi, demanding an apology for the killings.
Puri recalls 1984 violence, questions Congress over apology
Puri said he was in Geneva when the violence broke out in 1984 and recalled how his Hindu friends protected his parents, who were living in Delhi.He rejected the description of the killings as spontaneous violence following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984.“When mobs were arriving at the houses of our Sikh brothers in Delhi, they were not carrying ordinary voter lists. Because on a voter list, a name might say Harnam Singh and Harnam Singh could be from Madhya Pradesh, or Haryana, could be a Jat, a Rajput, or wearing a safa [turban]… no! The preparations were made for it,” he said.Puri also referred to the Delhi High Court’s observations on the violence and said the killings should not be described as riots.“Even now, a term is often used referring to it as ‘riots’ or ‘a riot.’ These were not riots. Riots are when two groups fight each other. Here, one group… 2,733 people were killed in cold blood in Delhi. Narsanhar [massacre/carnage] is the right word. In English, narsanhar means ‘genocide.’ And as far as I recall, the Delhi High Court specifically used the term: ‘This is a crime against humanity.’ Genocide and a crime against humanity,” he said.He questioned the INDIA bloc’s decision to hold its rally on November 1, saying the wounds of the violence had not healed.“Even today, I believe our community and our nation have not fully accepted or forgiven what happened in 1984. Nor did they ever apologise for it properly. Did they really have to choose this very day?” Puri said.He added that it was the responsibility of citizens to remember the violence to ensure that such incidents did not recur.
Rekha Gupta targets Gandhi family over 1984 killings
Gupta, who wore a black headband during the march, accused the Congress and the Gandhi family of failing to acknowledge the suffering of Sikh families affected by the violence.“The Sikh community in India is asking those who carry a copy of the Constitution in their pockets and invoke democracy today: what about what happened in November 1984? Was that not a murder of democracy, a murder committed by the Gandhi family itself?” she said.She also referred to the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi in 1975 and accused the Congress leadership of repeatedly undermining democratic institutions.“Thousands of Sikh families are weeping tears of blood, still grieving the loss of their loved ones in that Congress-sponsored massacre… yet they have never received justice. Has the Gandhi family ever uttered even a few words about them?” Gupta said.Malhotra also criticised the INDIA bloc for holding its rally on November 1, alleging that the timing hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community.“Congress has not apologised to the country or the Sikh community for this incident to date,” he said, adding that the rally was an attempt to disrupt normal life in Delhi.The 1984 anti-Sikh violence followed the assassination of Indira Gandhi on October 31 that year. According to official figures cited by Puri, 2,733 people were killed in Delhi.
BJP’s protest march was held alongside the INDIA bloc’s demonstration against alleged irregularities in electoral rolls during the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.The opposition alliance has demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.The two political events prompted heightened security arrangements across the capital, with police and paramilitary personnel deployed along the rally routes and at key locations.