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Rahul Gandhi was questioned in the US by a Sikh student over Congress' 1984 role in anti-Sikh riots. He acknowledged past mistakes, sparking political reactions in India after the video went viral online.
During a recent visit to the United States, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi was asked tough questions by a Sikh student about his party's role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The incident happened on April 21, but the video of the exchange surfaced online on May 3.
The student challenged Gandhi's recent comments in which he claimed that Sikhs might face limits on wearing religious symbols like the kara (steel bracelet) and turban under the BJP government. The student pointed out a contradiction: “You said politics should be fearless. But we don’t just want to wear karas or turbans — we want freedom of expression, which the Congress party denied us in the past.”
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The student also brought up the case of Sajjan Kumar, a former Congress MP who was sentenced to life imprisonment earlier this year. A Delhi court found him guilty of leading a mob that killed two Sikhs in Delhi’s Saraswati Vihar during the 1984 riots.
In response, Rahul Gandhi said he was ready to take full responsibility for all of Congress’ past mistakes — even though those events happened before he entered politics. “I wasn’t there when those mistakes happened, but I am more than happy to take responsibility for everything the Congress party has ever done wrong in its history,” he said.
He also said he had a strong personal connection with the Sikh community and had repeatedly condemned the 1984 violence. “I have been to the Golden Temple many times and I have publicly said what happened in the 80s was wrong,” Gandhi added. “I share a loving bond with the Sikh community.”
The video has triggered political reactions in India. BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya posted the clip on social media and said it showed how Gandhi was being “ridiculed not just in India, but around the world.” He accused Gandhi of spreading fear about Sikh identity under BJP rule, and said the student directly called out that behaviour.
The 1984 anti-Sikh riots followed Operation Blue Star, a military operation ordered by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in June 1984 to remove armed militants from the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The operation led to high casualties and major damage to the shrine. The main target, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, was killed during the assault.
Soon after, Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards, which triggered violent riots across India. Thousands of Sikhs were killed, and many have accused the Congress party of being complicit or failing to act during the violence.
