New Delhi, Nov 12 (PTI) Families of victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, along with members of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), on Thursday burned copies of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s memoir at Rakab Ganj Gurdwara here in protest against her account of the communal massacre.
DSGMC president Harmeet Singh Kalka and general secretary Jagdeep Singh Kahlo led the demonstration.
The protesters gathered at the ‘Wall of Truth’ at the gurdwara and raised slogans against the Congress leader.
In her book, ‘Belonging: A Journey of Love’, released on Tuesday, Gandhi describes the 1984 anti-Sikh riots as a “tragic and shameful” chapter in the country’s history.
She writes that while her husband and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi’s “heart held no bigotry or rancour”, he was thrust into a moment in history when governance had failed, making way for barbarism.
Gandhi also writes that news of the killing of Indira Gandhi spread rapidly and that the mood changed following her assassination, with violence breaking out in different parts of Delhi and beyond.
“More than 2,000 lost their lives in the capital alone, in the most cruel and cold-blooded manner,” she says in the memoir.
Speaking to reporters, Kalka and Kahlo objected to the account, alleging that it did not reflect the historical events and suffering of the Sikh community. They said the families of victims continue to seek justice even after four decades.
The DSGMC leaders also slammed Rajiv Gandhi over his reported remark comparing his mother’s assassination and consequent rioting to the felling of a large tree that shakes the earth.
The DSGMC said the committee would continue its legal battles to ensure that those responsible for the violence are brought to justice. PTI SHB VN
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