On June 1, 2025, the Punjab BJP posted a post on social media paying tribute to the “martyrs” of the June 1984 Ghalughara, condemning the attack on the Darbar Sahib by the then Congress government and sharing pictures of the damage to the Akal Takht. The post was shared on X and Facebook but was deleted after a few hours without giving any official reason. The Punjab BJP did not give any official reason for deleting the post.
Political experts believe that according to media reports and posts on X, it is likely that the central leadership (high command) of the BJP had instructed the Punjab unit to remove the post. The reason for this was probably to maintain a consistent political strategy of the party at the national level, as the BJP’s stance on the June 84 Ghalughara has historically been controversial. It is possible that the post was posted by the Punjab BJP social media team without a full review or approval from the high command, and was later removed as inappropriate.
It is also understood that the post was shared as an attempt to respect the sentiments of the Sikh community, but it is possible that its language or context was considered inappropriate by some sections, which led to the decision to remove it.
However, the BJP’s history has been controversial during the June 84 riots. In 1984, the BJP’s predecessor, the Jan Sangh, and the RSS had pressured the government for military action. BJP leaders LK Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee had staged a dharna in Delhi on May 3, 1984, demanding military action. Therefore, a section of the Sikh community in Punjab is suspicious of the BJP. The deletion of the post was probably an attempt to manage this contradiction, so that the party’s national election strategy is not affected.
