After the assassination of Indira Gandhi by two of her Sikh Body Guards following Operation Blue Star, many Congress workers including Jagdish Tytler, Sajjan Kumar and Kamal Nath were accused of inciting and participating in Sikh riots.

There are allegations that the government destroyed evidence and shielded the guilty. The "Asian Age" front-page story called the government actions "the Mother of all Cover-ups" There are allegations that the violence was led and often perpetrated by ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ activists and sympathizers during the riots. The government, then led by the Congress, was widely criticized for doing very little at the time, possibly acting as a conspirator. The conspiracy theory is supported by the fact that voting lists were used to identify Sikh families.

1984: anti-Sikh riots
K Kamaraj
Softness shown towards religious extremism and terrorism
Bofors scandal