Security threats forced abrupt withdrawal of Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi from boarding schools in 1984, Sonia Gandhi reveals

NEW DELHI — Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi has revealed in her autobiography, Belonging: A Journey of Love, that security threats following the June 1984 Operation Blue Star forced the abrupt withdrawal of her children, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, from their boarding schools due to fears of abduction.

According to the book, the intelligence inputs regarding a potential kidnapping plot emerged immediately after the military operation at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. R.N. Kao, the founder of India’s external intelligence agency, RAW, and security adviser to then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, directly reported that ensuring the safety of Rahul and Priyanka at their residential boarding schools was no longer feasible.

The revelation sheds light on the intense security pressures and psychological strain faced by the prime ministerial family during 1984.

Following the warning, Indira Gandhi summoned Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi to her study room after dinner. She informed them that Mr. Kao had received reports of a planned abduction and that the children had to be brought home immediately because keeping them secure in the schools was impossible. Sonia Gandhi recalled that the news left her deeply shaken and she retreated to her room to weep, while Rajiv Gandhi worried that an abduction could be used to blackmail the prime minister and compromise national security.

The pullout required mid-term disruption to the children’s education. Rahul Gandhi’s boarding school featured a sprawling campus lacking adequate perimeter security, while Priyanka Gandhi’s school was divided into separate sections requiring her to cross public streets daily. Despite having settled comfortably into their respective schools, both children were brought back to Delhi overnight under instructions from the prime minister.

Securing new admissions in Delhi schools amidst heightened security concerns proved difficult, but the move kept the children with their family. The sudden relocation allowed Rahul and Priyanka to spend the final two months of Indira Gandhi’s life with their grandmother at her Akbar Road residence.

Sonia Gandhi’s account also notes that during this tense period, Indira Gandhi advised the children to avoid playing with Sikh security personnel in the evenings at the Akbar Road residence. However, the prime minister steadfastly refused to remove Sikh bodyguards from her personal security detail, viewing such a step as contrary to her principles.