CHANDIGARH: Senior BJP leaders today stepped up their attack on the Congress over the massacre of Sikhs in the aftermath of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assassination in 1984.
Addressing the party's "Zakhm 84" conclave, BJP MP and former Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad described the 1984 massacre of Sikhs as a black stain on the soul of the country.
He directly questioned Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi over his father Rajiv Gandhi's remark that "when a big tree falls, the earth shakes", asked why the Gandhi family had never apologised, and urged Sikhs never to forget the wounds of 1984.
BJP leaders also challenged Rahul Gandhi to a public debate on the 1984 massacre, saying he was fond of seeking debates on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Prasad asked Rahul Gandhi to answer their questions "on the land of Punjab".
Prasad said thousands of innocent people were burnt and killed after Indira Gandhi's assassination, adding that her assassins were punished by law. "But the country had expected Rajiv Gandhi to console the victims. What came on November 19, 1984, was the 'when a big tree falls' remark. He asked Rahul Gandhi, who is in Punjab for a rally, what his answer to it was," he said.
Prasad further said that, as Information and Broadcasting Minister, he was told that the video of the remark had vanished from the archives. He said he summoned the Doordarshan archives director, gave him a deadline, and the footage was found by the evening.
He alleged that Congress workers had asked for the footage to be hidden. He said senior Sikh figures, including Air Marshal Arjan Singh and I K Gujral, had asked then President Giani Zail Singh and Home Minister P V Narasimha Rao to call in the Army. Gujral's son had made a public statement on the matter, which the Congress had never answered, he said.
"After the Narendra Modi government took office, an SIT was formed and several convicts were sentenced, including to life terms and a death sentence," Prasad said. He alleged that every attempt had been made to shield Tytler in the Pul Bangash case. Charges have now been framed against Tytler, with the trial pending, he said, crediting witnesses such as Nirpreet Kaur. H K L Bhagat has died, Sajjan Kumar is in jail, and Balwant Khokhar, a councillor and Sajjan Kumar's associate, is serving a life term, Prasad said.
Moderating the session, RP Singh began by pointing out that Rahul Gandhi had recently been issuing challenges for debates. He, too, challenged Gandhi to debate the 1984 massacre with Ravi Shankar Prasad, H S Phoolka and Bibi Nirpreet Kaur.
Singh said survivors, Sikh representatives and social activists had urged Rahul Gandhi not to hold the Congress rally in Delhi on November 1, the day the killings began 42 years ago. The party went ahead regardless and had no right to hold a "justice rally" until it expelled Jagdish Tytler and Kamal Nath, he said.
He alleged that Tytler led a mob outside the Pul Bangash gurdwara and that Nath led one at Gurdwara Rakab Ganj, where Sohan Singh and Avtar Singh, who were serving water and langar, were killed. Both leaders later held high office, including positions as Union minister and chief minister.
He cited Sam Pitroda's "what happened, happened" remark, noting that Pitroda still holds a senior party post, and said it reflected the party's mindset towards Sikhs.
During the second session, titled "The Sikh Massacre: When and How", at the "Zakhm 84" conference, victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh massacre recounted the atrocities they endured and their decades-long struggle for justice. The session was attended by Nirpreet Kaur, Satpal Kaur, Darshan Kaur, Sonia Kaur, Jagsher Singh and several other survivors.
The survivors who shared their testimonies repeatedly urged Rahul Gandhi to debate the role of his family, the Congress party and Congress governments in the anti-Sikh massacre. Describing the massacre as a well-planned conspiracy, they accused the Congress of failing to apologise and ensure justice for the victims.
Nirpreet Kaur recalled that she was 16 years old at the time of the 1984 massacre and that her family lived in Power Colony, Delhi. On October 31, Balwan Khokhar visited their home and offered to employ her brother as a driver. However, she alleged that the offer was merely a pretext to ascertain the number of family members.
"That night, two policemen visited their home and assured the family of protection. The following day, a mob allegedly involving Balwan Khokhar, Krishna Khokhar and others surrounded their house. The mob was allegedly incited to kill her nine-year-old brother, who was referred to as a 'snake's offspring'," she said.
She added that her father tried to protect the children, while the family endured the mob's attack for nearly four hours. Their truck was set ablaze. After the police allegedly pressured the family to reach a compromise, the house came under attack once again.
Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon said what happened in Delhi in 1984 was a genocide, not riots, since riots take place between two groups. He said the Congress now spoke of "vote theft" and democracy, but in 1984, voter lists were used to identify Sikh homes.
Citing the Mishra Commission report of 1985, he said about 5,000 Army personnel were ready by midnight on October 31, 1984, but were not given the go-ahead. The Nanavati Commission, set up in 2000, found that prompt police action could have saved many lives, he said.
