A major controversy broke out in the national capital on Thursday as families of the 1984 anti Sikh riots victims joined by members of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) staged an angry protest outside Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib and burned copies of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi newly released memoir.
The protesters expressed deep anger over how the 1984 violence is described in Sonia Gandhi book Belonging A Journey of Love. Raising slogans outside the historic gurdwara victims family members alleged that the book presents a distorted version of the tragic events and attempts to shield the Gandhi family and the then Congress government from accountability.
In her memoir Sonia Gandhi termed the 1984 anti Sikh riots a tragic and shameful chapter in India history noting that over 2000 innocent Sikhs were killed in Delhi alone following the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. She also wrote that former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi held no ill will against the community and was thrust into a moment when government machinery had broken down.
However DSGMC leaders and riot survivors strongly rejected this explanation questioning the book account of Rajiv Gandhi role during the violence. The demonstration comes just a day after BJP leaders also slammed the memoir accusing it of attempting to whitewash historical facts. You can watch Shri Harvinder Singh Phoolka on the 1984 Anti-Sikh Violence to hear senior advocate H.S. Phoolka detailed reaction and criticism regarding the remarks made in Sonia Gandhi memoir.
