1984 Anti-Sikh Riots: Babbar Calls It Genocide, Slams Congress

Tilak Nagar in west Delhi hosted a special recitation on Saturday in memory of the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The event was held at the Shaheed Gurudwara.

Rajiv Babbar, BJP co-convener for the seven north-eastern states, attended the programme and offered tribute to the innocent people who were killed. He called the 1984 incidents a genocide and used the occasion to attack the Congress and Rahul Gandhi.

Talking to IANS, Babbar said the 1984 anti-Sikh riots remain a black chapter in the nation's history. Many innocent lives were lost during that period, he said.

He recalled that former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had visited Block 19 in Tilak Nagar in 1984. Babbar said Vajpayee had then described the violence not as a riot but as a genocide. Babbar argued that a riot is typically a clash between two sides, whereas the 1984 killings were a one-sided massacre.

Babbar said the day was highly emotional and painful for families who had lost loved ones. He urged people to pray that such an incident never occurs again in the country. He also called for a collective resolve to remember the victims while strengthening harmony and brotherhood in society.

Turning to the rally led by Rahul Gandhi, Babbar questioned its timing. He said November 1 is a day for honouring and remembering the 1984 victims, and that holding a political movement or rally on this date is inappropriate.

He also referred to a statement by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who reportedly said that when a big tree falls, the earth shakes. Babbar cited the remark in connection with the 1984 events and criticised the Congress leadership.

Babbar said a silent march was being organised to pay tribute to the 1984 victims, with participants covering their mouths with black cloth. The march will start in Hari Nagar and end in Tilak Nagar.

He stressed that the silent march is not limited to political protest. Its purpose, he said, is to promote peace, harmony and brotherhood, and to commit that such violent incidents are not repeated in the future.