Sajjan Kumar, convicted in 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases, dies at 80

New Delhi: Former Congress MP, Sajjan Kumar, who was serving life imprisonment in connection with cases arising from the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, died on Thursday at a Delhi hospital. He was 80.

Kumar, lodged in Tihar Jail, was taken to Safdarjung Hospital after his health deteriorated. Doctors declared him brought dead on arrival.

The former Congress leader had been convicted for his role in the killings of five people during violence in Delhi’s Palam Colony on November 1 and 2, 1984, following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

On December 17, 2018, the Delhi High Court overturned a trial court’s 2013 verdict acquitting Kumar in the case. He was subsequently convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.

The case related to the murder of five Sikh men in Raj Nagar Part-I, Palam Colony, as well as the burning of a gurdwara during the widespread violence. The High Court held Kumar guilty of criminal conspiracy and abetment and directed that he remain in prison for the remainder of his natural life. In its judgment, the court had described the 1984 anti-Sikh violence as “crimes against humanity”.

Kumar’s challenge to his conviction and sentence remains pending before the Supreme Court.

Earlier this year, in January, a Delhi court acquitted Kumar in two separate cases concerning allegations that he had incited violence in the Janakpuri and Vikaspuri areas during the 1984 riots.

However, the acquittals did not result in his release, as Kumar continued to serve life sentences in other cases connected with the violence.

In February 2025, the Rouse Avenue Court handed Kumar another life sentence in the Saraswati Vihar case. He was convicted for his involvement in a mob attack in which a father and son, Jaswant Singh and Tarundeep Singh, were allegedly burned alive.

The prosecution had sought the death penalty for Kumar. However, the court awarded him life imprisonment, considering factors including his advanced age and health condition.

IANS