New Delhi, November 10, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
BJP leader and senior advocate H.S. Phoolka on Tuesday accused Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi of attempting to give her husband and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi a “clean chit” over the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. He described her account of the delay in Army deployment, included in her memoir, as contrary to official records.
In her memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, Sonia Gandhi wrote, “Although the Chief of the Army Staff General A.S. Vaidya had received his orders the same night as the assassination, we heard later that he had decided not to mobilise the nearest units because they were manned by Sikh soldiers, a factor that might have exacerbated the situation.”
Addressing a press conference, Phoolka alleged that Sonia Gandhi was trying to give a clean chit to Rajiv Gandhi and her family over the 1984 anti-Sikh massacre. He said the explanation in the memoir contradicted the findings of the Misra Commission and the Nanavati Commission.
Phoolka accused the then Rajiv Gandhi-led government of failing to deploy nearly 6,000 soldiers who were available in Delhi on the morning of November 1, 1984. He claimed that timely deployment could have saved around 2,000 Sikh lives.
Citing the Misra Commission report, Phoolka said around 6,100 troops were available in Delhi on the night of October 31 and the morning of November 1, but were not deployed. He said the commission had observed that deploying 5,000 soldiers on Delhi’s streets on the morning of November 1 could have saved at least 2,000 lives. He added that the Nanavati Commission had made similar observations.
Phoolka also referred to General A.S. Vaidya’s testimony before the Misra Commission. He said the then Army Chief had stated that he wanted an adequate military presence in Delhi and had contacted the General Officer Commanding (GOC), Delhi, who informed him that 6,000 troops were available in the national capital. According to Phoolka, troops requisitioned from Meerut had also reached Delhi on the night of October 31.
He argued that General Vaidya’s testimony did not indicate that Rajiv Gandhi had instructed him to call in the Army. Phoolka acknowledged that the Misra Commission report stated that Rajiv Gandhi had alerted General Vaidya, but maintained that the responsibility for requisitioning and deploying the Army rested with the civil administration.
“The responsibility for requisitioning and deploying the Army lies with the civil administration. Yet, the civil administration neither called in nor deployed the Army that was available on the morning of November 1,” he alleged.
Questioning Rajiv Gandhi’s role, Phoolka asked, “If Rajiv Gandhi was not responsible for the events, then what steps did he take against those responsible for not calling in and deploying the Army that was available on the morning of November 1?”
Referring to Rajiv Gandhi’s post-riots remark, “When a big tree falls, the earth shakes a little”, Phoolka accused the former Prime Minister of attempting to justify the massacre of Sikhs.
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