NEW DELHI — Senior advocate and BJP leader H.S. Phoolka launched a direct challenge Tuesday against Sonia Gandhi, accusing the former Congress president of fabricating a "clean chit" for her family in her newly released memoir over the state's failure to halt the 1984 anti-Sikh massacres.
Speaking after the release of Gandhi’s memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, published by HarperCollins, Phoolka asserted that her retelling of military decisions directly clashes with established judicial inquiry records. The violence, which erupted across Delhi following the October 31, 1984 assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards, claimed more than 2,700 Sikh lives.
In her book, Gandhi wrote that then Army Chief General A.S. Vaidya was approached on October 31, 1984, to bring in troops but advised against deploying Sikh soldiers. Phoolka rejected that narrative outright.
The record says otherwise.
Citing the judicial findings of the Justice Ranganath Misra Commission, constituted in 1985 to probe the targeted killings, Phoolka pointed to official military tallies established by the inquiry. The commission documented that approximately 6,100 Army personnel were physically stationed and available inside the national capital as mobs roamed the streets.
Of that force, 3,000 troops stood fully available for immediate field operations, while 3,100 personnel were assigned security details for Indira Gandhi’s funeral. The judicial commission specifically noted that General Vaidya had authorized immediate operational assistance the moment Delhi's civil administration requested it.
That request never came on time.
"If they would have been on the ground on November 1, at least 2,000 Sikhs would have been saved," Phoolka said.
Phoolka pressed why administrative authorities withheld those 3,000 field-ready soldiers throughout November 1, leaving neighborhoods unguarded while violence escalated across the capital.
| Military Resource Parameter | Misra Commission Finding (1985) | Official Status on Ground |
|---|---|---|
| Total Army Personnel in Delhi | ~6,100 Troops | Present in Capital on Oct 31–Nov 1, 1984 |
| Troops Available for Field Duty | 3,000 Personnel | Withheld from Riot Deployment on Nov 1 |
| Funeral Security Allocation | 3,100 Personnel | Assigned to Indira Gandhi Funeral Protocol |
| Army Chief Deployment Authorization | General A.S. Vaidya | Pre-authorized Civil Assistance if Requested |
Phoolka turned his focus directly to then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, demanding an explanation for the central government's documented paralysis during the three days of bloodshed. He questioned what concrete interventions Rajiv Gandhi ordered to curb the slaughter, and why Sikh regiments were barred from protecting targeted civilian enclaves.
Phoolka referenced Rajiv Gandhi's infamous public justification following the massacre — "When a big tree falls, the earth shakes" — arguing that Sonia Gandhi's memoir serves as a revisionist exercise designed to insulate her family from lingering culpability.
If they would have been on the ground on November 1, at least 2,000 Sikhs would have been saved.
H.S. Phoolka, Senior Advocate and BJP Leader
Gandhi's memoir chronicles her journey from her youth in Italy through her marriage into India's most powerful political dynasty, framing the text as an intimate personal account of historical milestones. But for legal advocates who spent four decades litigating 1984 carnage cases, personal recollections cannot overwrite official inquiry findings.
| Capital Death Toll |
| Over 2,700 Sikh Citizens |
| Recorded Fatalities in Delhi Violence |