Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi at UC Berkeley: ‘I support their (Sikh protesters) quest for justice’. (Twitter/Shashi Tharoor) Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi at UC Berkeley: ‘I support their (Sikh protesters) quest for justice’. (Twitter/Shashi Tharoor)

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said he supports the Sikh population in their quest for justice for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in the country. Gandhi, who is currently on a visit to United States, addressed a gathering at the University of California, Berkeley amid protests by a section of the Sikh-American population outside the venue. On being asked about concerns of Sikh population during the moderated Q&A session after the address, Gandhi said, “I absolutely love the community. If there’s anything I can do to help them get justice. I’ll be the first person to do so.”

Gandhi went on to say he supports Sikh’s population quest for justice. “I am with them in their quest for justice. Violence against anybody, I strongly condemn,” he said. Click here for LIVE updates from Rahul Gandhi’s address

The Congress leader further went on to add he understands personal loss due to violence. “I lost my father, my grandmother to violence. If I don’t understand violence, I’ll be ignorant,” he said. “Indira Gandhi’s bodyguards, who shot her 32 times, were my friends. I used to play Badminton with them. So, on one day, I saw my grandmother shot and my friends shot. Violence against anybody is wrong, and I condemn it,” Gandhi further added.

Earlier, in his address, the Congress leader said ideology of non-violence is under threat in India. “Idea of non violence or ahimsa is what has allowed this mass of people(India) to rise together,” Gandhi said. “Idea of non-violence is under attack today, yet it is only idea which can take humanity forward,” he added. Speaking about violence in the name of religion in the country, Gandhi added, “Hatred, anger and violence can destroy us. The politics of polarization is very dangerous.”

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