Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri speaks as advocate HS Phoolka (right) joins the Bharatiya Janata Party in New Delhi on April 1, 2026. | Photo credit: ANI
Senior advocate HS Phoolka, who fought for the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, on Wednesday (April 1, 2026) joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in the presence of Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and others at the party headquarters here.
After making his political debut with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2014, Mr. Phoolka became the Leader of the Opposition in Punjab in 2017.
However, he resigned as an MLA in October 2018, expressing displeasure over the Congress government’s alleged failure to take action against those named in the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission report for their alleged role in the police actions that led to the deaths due to sacrilege. He later left AAP and politics.
In 2019, Mr. Phoolka was awarded the Padma Shri in recognition of his decades-long legal crusade to secure justice for the victims of the 1984 riots.
After a gap of six years, in December 2024, he announced his decision to join the Shiromani Akali Dal.
Published – 01 April 2026 16:00 IST
