Horrors of 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots: Senior Advocate H.S. Phoolka Recalls Attack on His House and Decades-Long Legal Battle for Victims

ON AUGUST 22, 2026, NewsGram journalist Agniva Ray interviewed renowned lawyer Harvinder Singh Phoolka. In the interview, he talked about the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi and the legal battle that he had to fight for the victims. He explained in detail how events turned out to be and how he was going to go to Punjab but stayed to fight the legal battle of the victims. He also explained in the interview about the Rajiv Gandhi-led government’s response to the riots.

Phoolka also explained how the events in his personal life were difficult. He described the instance where his house was attacked by the mob during the anti-Sikh riots. He said that he was living in Delhi when that happened and, after being attacked, he, along with his family, decided to leave Delhi and go to Punjab. He said that he came to Delhi to collect his belongings and hand over his cases to someone else. However, after seeing the need for lawyers at relief camps in Delhi, he decided to stay back and help the victims.

H.S. Phoolka Recalls Attack on His House During 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots

When NewsGram journalist Agniva Ray asked Phoolka about a moment when he felt that continuing his legal profession had become too risky, Phoolka said that the people around him supported him.

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He recalled that his house was attacked on November 2, 1984, during the riots. He said that his landlady, who belonged to a Hindu family, helped protect them when the mob tried to enter the house. “We always say that our house was attacked on November 2. That day, our landlady, who was from a Hindu family, stood in the middle of the staircase and stopped the mob. Meanwhile, her daughter-in-law took us inside a room on the upper floor where quilts were kept. She hid us there, put the quilts in front, locked the door, and kept us safe,” he said.

Phoolka said that because of their help, the mob could not find them and they survived the attack. He recalled that after the incident, he felt that God had saved them and believed that if they had been saved that day, they would be protected in the future as well.

He said that they considered it a part of life and believed that whatever was meant to happen would happen. He further emphasised the importance of the law, saying that no individual in power should be allowed to consider themselves above the law.

1984 Anti-Sikh Riots in Delhi

The 1984 anti-Sikh riots were a series of attacks against the Sikh community in India that resulted in the deaths of thousands of people within days. The violence followed the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. The assassination came after the Indian Army's Operation Blue Star at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

Years passed since the incident, and the victims continued to seek justice for the deaths of their loved ones. Accused in the cases were arrested and then acquitted, while cases and appeals remained pending for years, with no conclusion in sight. Lawyers like H.S. Phoolka continued to fight the legal battles on behalf of the victims from the relief camps, but the accused in these cases were still powerful figures. 

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Phoolka said that when opposition leaders approached then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and alleged that Sajjan Kumar, who was a Congress MP at that time was leading a mob that killed Sikhs, Gandhi rejected the allegation. He said, “On November 7, 1984, opposition leaders went to Rajiv Gandhi, the Prime Minister, and said that Sajjan Kumar was leading the mob that killed Sikhs. Rajiv Gandhi said at that time, ‘No, this is wrong. It is wrong to say that any Congress leader was leading the mob.’”

Phoolka said that a subsequent report also contained allegations against Sajjan Kumar, but that the allegations were not acted upon immediately. He further said, “On November 19, Rajiv Gandhi, the Prime Minister, gave his first public address. In that, he not only gave Sajjan Kumar a clean chit but also justified the entire massacre.”

Phoolka said that several committees were subsequently constituted and that affidavits and allegations were submitted against Sajjan Kumar. However, according to him, the legal proceedings took years to progress. He said that after the V.P. Singh government came to power, the case was finally registered and handed over to the CBI. However, he claimed that Sajjan Kumar was extremely influential at the time.

Phoolka recalled an incident from September 1990, when the CBI went to Sajjan Kumar's residence to arrest him and conduct a search. “Now imagine, this was September 1990. The CBI went to Sajjan Kumar’s house to arrest him and conduct a search. A mob gathered there. They held the CBI team captive. They set the CBI jeeps on fire. The CBI officers who were there were afraid for their lives, thinking that they would be killed,” he said.

Phoolka highlighted the influence Sajjan Kumar allegedly wielded at the time and said that the legal battle continued for decades. He said that at the time of his death on August 20, 2026, Sajjan Kumar was serving three life sentences.

Who Is H.S. Phoolka?

Harvinder Singh Phoolka is a senior advocate of the Delhi High Court, author, human rights activist, and politician. He is known for his work seeking justice for victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in New Delhi, which followed the assassination of Indira Gandhi and resulted in the deaths of thousands of Sikhs.

Phoolka has represented victims in several cases involving Congress leaders accused of involvement in the riots, including cases concerning H.K.L. Bhagat, Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler.

In his political career, Phoolka served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly from the Dakha constituency in Ludhiana and also served as the Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly. As an author, Phoolka co-authored the book When a Tree Shook Delhi with journalist Manoj Mitta. The book details the events and aftermath of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

(Edited by Harsh Pandey)

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