On the death anniversary of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri revisited one of the most painful chapters in India’s post-independence history—the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Calling the event “one of the darkest blots in the history of independent India,” Puri shared a deeply personal recollection of the days when Delhi and several other cities were engulfed in a wave of horrific violence that targeted the Sikh community. His reflections, shared through a series of posts on X, were both a remembrance and a call for accountability.

Puri’s statements came alongside a social media campaign by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which posted accounts of survivors and the long shadows that the violence cast over the lives of thousands. The BJP, in its posts, said the trauma of 1984 continues to haunt those who lived through it, citing independent reports that estimate nearly 16,000 Sikhs were killed across India. Most of these killings took place in Delhi, where mobs ran rampant for days following the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984.

In his emotional post, Puri recalled that he still shudders when he remembers the terror of those days. He described how helpless and innocent Sikh men, women, and children were brutally murdered, their homes and places of worship destroyed, and their lives shattered—acts carried out by mobs that were, according to him, guided and led by Congress leaders and their local operatives. “All in the name of extracting ‘revenge’ for the dastardly murder of Smt Indira Gandhi,” he said.

Puri also shared a personal memory from that dark time. Then a young diplomat serving as First Secretary at India’s Permanent Mission in Geneva, he recalled being deeply anxious about the safety of his parents in Delhi. They lived in a Delhi Development Authority (DDA) flat in SFS, Hauz Khas—an area that was not spared from the violence. “They were rescued in time by my Hindu friend and taken to my grandparents’ house in Khan Market,” he wrote. “Even as unimaginable violence raged across Delhi and several other cities, my parents were lucky to escape unharmed, but many others were not so fortunate.”

The minister’s account reflected the trauma shared by countless Sikh families who faced violence, arson, and murder. For many, the riots were not just an outbreak of mob rage but a systematic and organized massacre. Eyewitnesses and subsequent inquiries have long pointed to the role of political leaders who incited and enabled the violence. Puri highlighted this grim reality, recalling how the police, the very institution meant to protect citizens, stood by as mute spectators while the killings continued. “The state machinery was turned on its head,” he said. “The protectors had turned to perpetrators.”

According to Puri, voter lists were allegedly used to identify Sikh homes and businesses, allowing mobs to target them with precision. “Even as the city burned, no real attempts were made to stop the mobs for several days,” he said. “Instead, with his statement ‘When a big tree falls, the earth shakes,’ then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi gave his open support to the massacre of Sikhs.” That infamous remark, made shortly after the riots began, has since become a symbol of what many see as the Congress leadership’s indifference, if not complicity, in the violence.

Puri also cited reports that Congress leaders were seen leading mobs outside Gurdwaras, urging them to attack, while the police watched silently. “The very institutions meant to uphold law and order surrendered their conscience,” he said, “and allowed these leaders a free hand.” In the days that followed, thousands of Sikh men were dragged from their homes, beaten, and set ablaze in public. Women were assaulted, families were torn apart, and entire neighborhoods were reduced to ashes. For survivors, the violence was not only physical but psychological—an unhealed wound that continues to ache decades later.

The Union Minister referenced findings from the Nanavati Commission, a judicial inquiry set up in 2000 to investigate the riots. The commission’s report, submitted in 2005, corroborated many of the survivors’ accounts and found evidence of Congress leaders’ involvement in organizing and instigating the violence. “Leaders met at a Congress MLA’s house and decided that Sikhs ‘must be taught a lesson,’” Puri said, echoing the commission’s findings. “Inflammable powder and chemicals were procured from factories and handed to mobs.” The commission also noted how the police and administration failed to take necessary steps to prevent or control the violence, leading to widespread loss of life and property.

“The Nanavati Commission confirmed what survivors always knew,” Puri said. “Congress did not fail to stop the massacre—it enabled it.” He accused the Congress of denying the scale and organized nature of the violence for decades, of protecting perpetrators, and even rewarding them with political opportunities. “They gave them plum postings, party tickets, and promotions as rewards,” he said. “This is how justice was subverted, and accountability was buried.”

In his posts, Puri emphasized that the 1984 violence was not just a historical tragedy but a moral catastrophe that continues to shape India’s collective conscience. He said that while the victims were primarily Sikh, the shame of those days belongs to the entire nation. “The trauma of 1984 still haunts the people who lived through it,” he said. “It was a time when humanity itself seemed to vanish.”

Contrasting that period with the present, Puri asserted that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has ensured the safety and dignity of all its communities. “Today, India not only keeps its minorities safe but ensures ‘Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas’ without prejudice or discrimination,” he said, referring to the government’s development slogan that emphasizes inclusive progress.

The BJP, too, used the occasion to draw a stark comparison between the Congress-led government’s failure in 1984 and what it described as the Modi government’s commitment to justice and harmony. Through posts on X, the party shared survivors’ stories and highlighted the slow pace of justice in bringing the perpetrators to account. While several Congress leaders were eventually charged and some convicted—most notably Sajjan Kumar—many others accused of involvement have continued to evade justice, despite decades of trials and commissions.

For Puri, the memory of 1984 remains not just a political issue but a deeply personal and emotional one. His posts combined personal loss, moral outrage, and political condemnation. “Today is the time to remember that violence with anger and rage,” he wrote, “even as we pay homage to the victims and empathize with the anguish and pain of the families they left behind.”

The anti-Sikh riots of 1984 remain among the most horrific episodes in India’s modern history. Sparked by Indira Gandhi’s assassination, the violence spread rapidly through Delhi and other parts of the country. For nearly three days, mobs targeted Sikh homes, businesses, and Gurdwaras. Reports suggest that the violence was not spontaneous but orchestrated, with clear patterns of organization and deliberate targeting. The aftermath left entire communities devastated and generations traumatized.

Four decades later, the events of 1984 continue to stir strong emotions and political debate. For the Sikh community, it is not merely a historical memory but a wound that defines their relationship with the Indian state. For leaders like Hardeep Singh Puri, recalling the events is not only an act of remembrance but also a demand for justice and historical reckoning. “What happened in 1984 must never be forgotten,” he wrote. “It must serve as a reminder of what happens when politics turns into hatred, and power turns a blind eye to humanity.”

As India observed another anniversary of Indira Gandhi’s death, Puri’s words echoed through social media and political discourse, reviving the painful memories of a time when the nation’s moral fabric was torn apart. His message, both personal and political, was clear: remembrance is not enough without accountability, and reconciliation cannot come without truth.