New Delhi, November 10, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
In her memoir Belonging: A Journey of Love, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi has addressed the delay in deploying the Army during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi, saying the then-Army Chief, General A.S. Vaidya, chose not to mobilise nearby units because they were manned by Sikh soldiers.
Sonia wrote that the Army had been requisitioned on the night of October 31, 1984, following the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her bodyguards. However, she said General Vaidya decided against using the nearest units, citing concerns that their deployment might have worsened the situation amid reports of sporadic mutinies by Sikh soldiers and some officers.
“Whatever the reason, General Vaidya ordered units further away, in Dehradun, to move to Delhi,” she wrote. According to her account, Army units began moving into position by the night of November 1 and had been deployed in riot-affected parts of the city by noon on November 2. A curfew was in force and shoot-at-sight orders had been issued.
Sonia also defended her husband, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, against allegations that he turned a blind eye to the violence or authorised attacks on Sikhs. She said she was convinced he “could not in any way have authorised those heinous acts on innocent men, women, and children”. However, she acknowledged that “some in charge must have looked the other way” and that some had allegedly stoked tensions.
Recalling Rajiv’s response after taking over as Prime Minister, Sonia said he appealed for peace on national television on the night of October 31, visited violence-hit areas and sent members of his staff to check on the safety of Sikh colleagues. She also recalled his subsequent nationwide appeal, quoting Indira Gandhi’s words: “Do not shed blood, shed hatred”.
Sonia described Rajiv as “just and compassionate to his core”, while acknowledging that he assumed office at a time when effective governance had faltered and horrific violence had followed. She also recalled learning about the attacks from friends who sheltered Sikhs and from Sikh families who took refuge in their home, saying it took her years to process the enormity of the events.
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