On Thursday, 12 November, families of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots victims, alongside members of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), burnt copies of Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s newly released memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, at New Delhi’s Rakab Ganj Gurdwara.
Protesters condemned her account of the November 1984 violence as inaccurate and an attempt to absolve the Gandhi family of accountability, while DSGMC officials and political leaders criticised the book for lacking a clear apology and misrepresenting the timeline of military intervention. Conversely, in her memoir, Sonia Gandhi acknowledged that justice had eluded victims for decades, noted administrative failures and delays in deploying the Army, and defended former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s intentions during the crisis.
Grief and Outrage
Gathering near the 1984 memorial inside the Rakab Ganj Gurdwara complex, bereaved relatives and community representatives set copies of the 544-page book alight, asserting that their four-decade struggle for justice had been trivialised.
Leading the demonstration, DSGMC president Harmeet Singh Kalka and general secretary Jagdip Singh Kahlon accused the memoir of giving a “clean chit” to the Gandhi family while glossing over the role of Congress leaders accused in the killings. Senior advocate H.S. Phoolka and Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal’s party spokespersons—including Parambans Singh Romana and Daljit Singh Cheema, alongside BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa and Dhillon—also challenged the book’s claims regarding Army deployment delays. “If there was genuine remorse, why was the truth suppressed for decades?” Dhillon asked in a written statement, adding that the violence against Sikhs could not be reduced to a merely regrettable chapter to evade accountability.
Four Decades of Unresolved Trauma
The controversy stems from the release of Gandhi’s memoir on Tuesday, 10 November, which revisits the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on 31 October 1984 and the subsequent anti-Sikh pogroms that claimed over 2,000 lives in Delhi alone.
In the book, Sonia Gandhi describes the massacre as a “tragic and shameful” chapter, admitting that several Congress workers faced criminal proceedings and that four commissions, nine committees, and two special investigation teams failed to deliver full justice. However, her portrayal of Rajiv Gandhi as a leader whose “heart held no bigotry or rancour” who was let down by administrative failure drew sharp pushback from survivors and Sikh bodies, who argue that historical records and inquiry commissions contradict her version of events.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The Logical Indian stands firmly with the families of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, whose pain remains unhealed even after more than forty years.
True reconciliation and social harmony cannot be built on contested narratives or partial acknowledgements; they require unambiguous truth, institutional accountability, and genuine empathy for those who suffered unimaginable loss. While public figures have the right to share their personal recollections, historical tragedies demand sensitivity towards survivors who continue to wait for complete closure and justice. Healing deep communal wounds requires listening to victims with humility rather than defending political legacies. What steps do you believe are essential to ensure meaningful justice and lasting healing for the survivors of the 1984 tragedy?
Also Read: Dubai Airports Suspend SpiceJet Check-In Over ₹35.85 Crore Unpaid Dues, Four Flights Cancelled
