Families of victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, along with members of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), burned a copy of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s memoir at Rakab Ganj Gurdwara in New Delhi on Thursday, in protest against her account of the riots.

The protesters said they were angered by Gandhi’s description of the 1984 violence in her book Belonging: A Journey of Love, which was released on Tuesday. Thousands of Sikhs were killed in the riots that followed the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

01. What the memoir says

In the book, published by HarperCollins, Gandhi describes the 1984 anti-Sikh riots as a “tragic and shameful” chapter in the country’s history. She writes that her husband, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, had a heart that “held no bigotry or rancour” but was thrust into a moment in history when governance had failed, making way for barbarism.

“By the afternoon, rioting had broken out in different parts of the city and beyond. Brutal acts of violence were committed against innocent Sikhs. More than 2,000 lost their lives in the capital alone, in the most cruel and cold-blooded manner,” she writes in the memoir.

02. Why protesters are angry

The protesters said the book misrepresented the violence and sought to defend the Gandhi family. DSGMC general secretary Jagdeep Singh Kahlon also questioned the book’s account of Rajiv Gandhi’s role during the riots.

The protest follows a day of criticism from the BJP. On Wednesday, Delhi minister and BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa called the memoir’s portrayal of the 1984 events “a complete lie” and “an absolute distortion of history”. BJP workers also burned an effigy of Gandhi in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, on Wednesday, demanding an apology to the Sikh community.

The memoir row has kept the 1984 riots — one of the most painful chapters in modern Indian history — at the centre of political debate this week. Newsy earlier reported on the BJP’s criticism of the book, and the row continues to draw reactions from Sikh organisations and political parties.

03. Key takeaways

  • 1984 riot victims’ families and DSGMC members burned a copy of Sonia Gandhi’s memoir at Rakab Ganj Gurdwara in Delhi on Thursday.
  • They object to her account of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Belonging: A Journey of Love, released on Tuesday.
  • Gandhi calls the riots a “tragic and shameful” chapter and says more than 2,000 people were killed in Delhi alone.
  • The BJP had already attacked the book on Wednesday, calling it a distortion of history.

04. FAQs

What is Sonia Gandhi’s memoir called?
Belonging: A Journey of Love, published by HarperCollins and released on 10 November 2026.

Why was the memoir burned?
Families of 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims and DSGMC members say the book misrepresents the riots and defends the Gandhi family.

What does Gandhi say about the 1984 riots?
She calls them a “tragic and shameful” chapter and writes that more than 2,000 Sikhs were killed in Delhi alone.