Overview

• A photograph of Rahul Gandhi standing beside Jagdish Tytler at Congress’s Independence Day flag hoisting went viral after BJP leader Amit Malviya shared it on X.
• BJP figures including Malviya and Radhika Khera condemned the image as proof that Congress refuses to reckon with its role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
• Congress spokesperson Shama Mohammad defended Tytler’s routine presence at party events and countered by highlighting other communal atrocity cases.
• Political analysts say the optics of Tytler’s proximity to Rahul Gandhi risk alienating voters in Punjab and complicate Congress’s messaging ahead of upcoming elections.
• No new legal actions have been announced against Tytler, who remains unconvicted despite long-standing accusations of involvement in the 1984 violence.