To counter India Bloc’s rally at Ramlila ground, the BJP held a march in West Delhi to remember those killed in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, with the party accusing the Congress of holding its rally on the anniversary of the violence.
The protest march led by Union Cabinet minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra and several others, began from the Sikh-dominated Hari Nagar area and concluded at Tilak Nagar metro station. Hundreds of BJP workers carrying the Tricolour and party flags marched through the Sikh-dominated areas, holding placards blaming the Congress for the 1984 violence. BJP leaders demanded an apology from the Congress for holding its rally on a day that they said was marked by an escalation in violence against Sikhs following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Union Minister *Sardar Hardeep Singh Puri* said that he remembered being posted in Geneva 42 years ago, while his parents lived in Delhi’s GDA Colony. When the violence began, some of his Hindu friends came forward and safely escorted his parents to a secure location in their car. He said that 2,733 people were killed in Delhi and subjected to horrific brutality.
According to nationwide figures, approximately 3,325 people were killed. These are official figures, which the Sikh community has always considered an incomplete record. He said that the incident is often described using the word “riot”. However, these were not riots.
Riots generally involve clashes between two groups, whereas in Delhi, 2,733 people were brutally killed in a one-sided wave of violence.
The appropriate term for this was genocide. The Delhi High Court, as far as he recalled, had also used terms such as “Crime Against Humanity” to describe these incidents.
Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said that the Sikh community was asking those who carry copies of the Constitution and speak about democracy a simple question: Was what happened in November 1984 not the murder of democracy? Thousands of Sikh families lost their loved ones during that horrific period. The violence forced lakhs of Sikhs to cut their hair to protect their identities and save themselves... They have selected this day for their political aspirations. They are still entangled in the same greed. Rahul Gandhi is also promoting lawlessness to gain power,” she said.
“Even today, many mothers, sisters and families continue to live with the painful memories of the tragedy and wait for justice,” she said. The chief minister wore a black headband at the protest, said a Sikh neighbour had taken shelter at her parents’ home during the violence. The Chief Minister said the padyatra in Hari Nagar was an effort to give voice to the pain and demand for justice of thousands of families who lost their loved ones in 1984. The Sikh men and women participating in the march were seeking answers from the Congress and its allies on when they would be held accountable for the injustice done to these families and when the victims would receive complete justice.
Delhi BJP President Harsh Malhotra described the 1984 Sikh genocide as a well-planned conspiracy by the Congress, alleging that Congress leaders themselves stood on the streets, identified Sikh households and facilitated the massacre. He said that the roles of several Congress leaders, including H.K.L. Bhagat and Sajjan Kumar, had come to light in connection with the incident. He added that Sikhs were massacred continuously for 72 hours. He also recalled the painful incident in which members of his family were burnt alive before his eyes.
Targeting Rahul Gandhi, Malhotra said that by deliberately organising a programme on the anniversary of the 1984 genocide, Rahul Gandhi was rubbing salt into the wounds of the victim families. He said that Rahul Gandhi was attempting to carry forward the same mindset reflected in Rajiv Gandhi’s infamous statement, “When a big tree falls, the earth shakes.” Delhi Government Minister *Sardar Manjinder Singh Sirsa* said that Rahul Gandhi was following in his father’s footsteps by indulging in politics over the 1984 Sikh genocide. Forty-two years ago, during the tenure of the then Congress government, thousands of innocent Sikhs were dragged out of their homes, identified and brutally murdered. Tyres were placed around their necks and they were burnt alive.