Shah Condemns Delhi Rally Held on 1984 Anniversary, Survivor Groups Seek Apologyਸ਼ਾਹ ਨੇ 1984 ਦੀ ਵਰ੍ਹੇਗੰਢ ਉੱਤੇ ਦਿੱਲੀ ਰੈਲੀ ਦੀ ਨਿੰਦਾ ਕੀਤੀ, ਪੀੜਤ ਪਰਿਵਾਰਾਂ ਨੇ ਮੁਆਫ਼ੀ ਮੰਗੀ

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday, 1 November 2026, condemned the Congress-led INDIA bloc for holding a rally in Delhi on the anniversary of the 1984 anti-Sikh violence, in which thousands of Sikhs were killed. Speaking at an event at Tiranga Park in Chandigarh's Sector 17, where he inaugurated development projects, Shah said holding the gathering on that date rubbed salt into the wounds of victim families. Survivor families and Sikh groups also questioned the choice of date, and The Times of India reported that they sought an apology from the Congress.

What did Amit Shah say in Chandigarh?

Shah said the BJP had appealed to the Congress, through press conferences, to keep November 1, 2 and 3 aside, because those were the days of the 1984 violence and remain deeply painful for Sikh families. He said the party first assumed Rahul Gandhi might not know the date's significance, since he was young in 1984, but concluded the rally went ahead deliberately. He recalled the remark attributed to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi after the violence, contrasting it with his son leading a rally on the same date 42 years later, and attacked the Congress leader's politics of love slogan, saying the rally's timing contradicted it. Speaking from Chandigarh, Shah said he strongly condemned the decision and that Punjab and India would not forget it. His allegations about why the date was chosen are his claims; the Indian Express report carried no evidence for them and no Congress response.

Shah also said the Modi government had reopened closed 1984 cases, sent guilty Congress leaders to jail and paid compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of victims. On the rally itself, he mocked the opposition's mock Parliament proceedings against the Chief Election Commissioner and said Rahul Gandhi could become Prime Minister only in a mock Parliament. He added that Delhi traders had repeatedly appealed for the rally to be moved until after Diwali, fearing losses in the peak shopping days, an appeal he said the Congress ignored.

Why is November 1 so sensitive for Sikh families?

The violence began after Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated on 31 October 1984. In the days that followed, from November 1, Sikhs were attacked and killed in Delhi and other cities, and homes and businesses were destroyed. Survivor families mark the first days of November each year with remembrance events, and many say justice and accountability remain incomplete more than four decades later. Victim families had opposed Sunday's rally in advance as well, writing to the Home Minister to urge that it not be allowed on that date and asking the Congress to respect their feelings instead.

What was the Delhi rally about?

The INDIA bloc's rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan was not organised on the 1984 issue. The opposition alliance gathered to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and to press its allegations of irregularities in electoral rolls and the Special Intensive Revision exercise. A day earlier, opposition MPs had staged mock impeachment proceedings against the Commissioner. None of the reports of Shah's Chandigarh speech published on Sunday carried a Congress or INDIA bloc response to his criticism of the rally's timing.

Why did Shah condemn the November 1 rally?

Because November 1 is the anniversary of the start of the 1984 anti-Sikh violence, in which thousands of Sikhs were killed in Delhi and elsewhere. Shah said holding a political rally on that date hurt the sentiments of victim families, and survivor groups questioned the timing and sought an apology.

What did the INDIA bloc rally demand?

The rally at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and action over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and the Special Intensive Revision exercise.

Has the Congress responded to Shah's criticism?

No Congress or INDIA bloc response to Shah's remarks was carried in the reports of his Chandigarh speech published on Sunday, 1 November 2026.