'Even today, I shudder remembering those days': Hardeep Puri on 1984 Anti-Sikh riots

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu) : On October 31, on the 41st anniversary of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri paid tribute to those who lost their lives. Referring to the riots, he said, "Today we are commemorating the anniversary of one of the darkest spots in the history of independent India." Puri said, "I still shudder to remember those days of 1984, when helpless and innocent Sikh men, women, and children were indiscriminately massacred. Their properties and religious sites were looted by mobs led by Congress leaders and their associates. This was all done in the name of 'avenging' the brutal assassination of Indira Gandhi." "This was a time when the police were forced to stand as mute spectators while Sikhs were dragged out of their homes, vehicles, and gurdwaras and burned alive. The state machinery had collapsed. The protectors had become the perpetrators," the Union Minister wrote on the social media platform X.

He said, “Voter lists were used to identify Sikh homes and properties. For days, no attempt was made to stop the mob. Instead, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi openly supported the massacre of Sikhs with his statement, 'When a big tree falls, the earth shakes.' Congress leaders were seen leading mobs outside gurdwaras, while the police stood by as spectators. The very institutions meant to maintain law and order, heeding the call of their conscience, gave these leaders a free hand.”

He alleged, “Leaders met at the home of a Congress MLA and decided that the Sikhs must be taught a lesson. Flammable powder and chemicals were procured from factories and given to the mob.” Referring to the Nanavati Commission report, Hardeep Singh Puri wrote, “Years later, the Nanavati Commission (2005) confirmed all this, stating very clearly that ‘there is credible evidence against Congress(I) leaders who led the mob and instigated the attacks.’ Even their own report confirmed what the victims had always known. Congress didn’t fail to prevent the massacre. It made it possible. Later, for decades, Congress shamelessly denied the anti-Sikh violence. They protected the perpetrators and rewarded them with lucrative postings (even party tickets to contest elections).”

He also mentioned the attacks on his home during the Sikh riots. The Union Minister wrote, “Like other members of my Sikh Sangat, this violence also reached close to my home. I was posted in Geneva as a young First Secretary at the time and was extremely worried about the safety of my parents, who lived in a DDA flat in SFS, Hauz Khas. My Hindu friend rescued them in time and took them to the first floor of my grandparents' house in Khan Market, while unimaginable violence raged in Delhi and many other cities.”

During the event, Hardeep Singh Puri paid tribute to those who lost their lives in the riots and expressed his condolences to the families of the victims. He said, "This is the time to appreciate the era of inclusive development and peace we live in under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Today, India not only protects its minorities but also ensures sabka saath, sabka vikaas, without any prejudice or discrimination."