1984 Anti-Sikh Riots Case: Ex Congress Leader Sajjan Kumar Awarded Life Imprisonment
New Delhi: A Delhi court on Tuesday (February 25) awarded life imprisonment to former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. The court on February 12 convicted Kumar for the murders of two men in Delhi’s Saraswati Vihar area on November 1, 1984 during the riots.
Special judge Kaveri Baweja of Delhi Rouse Avenue Court pronounced the judgement. The minimum punishment for murder is life imprisonment, while the the maximum is death penalty. The complainant, Jaswant’s wife and the prosecution had sought death penalty for Kumar.
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According to prosecution, an armed mob partake in the large-scale looting, arson and destruction of properties of Sikhs to retaliate the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The mob attacked the house of complainant Jaswant’s wife, killing and burning of her husband and his son and looted their house. Later, they set the house on fire, prosecution states.
Punjabi Bagh police station registered the case at first, then the Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed to investigate the case. SIT alleged that Kumar had led the mob, and their actions were as per his directions.
Kumar, an influential leader was then serving as the Congress MP for Outer Delhi. In the ruling, the court stated that there were enough material to formulate a “prima facie opinion that he was not only a participant, but had also led the mob”.
Kumar is currently lodged in Tihar jail where he is serving undergoing his life imprisonment in another case related to the 1984 riots. The case was in connection to the killing of five Sikhs at Raj Nagar Part I in Palam Colony and the burning down of a gurdwara in Raj Nagar Part II. Kumar resigned from the primary membership of the party after he was convicted in this case.
Kumar also faces many other cases related to the anti-Sikh riots. In September 2023, a Delhi court acquitted Kumar in a case related to the murder of a Sikh man, Surjit Singh, during the riots, in the Sultanpuri area by giving him the “benefit of the doubt”. At present, another case is pending against Kumar in the Delhi Rouse Avenue court, two appeals against his acquittals are pending in the high court, and an appeal against his conviction in one case is pending in the Supreme Court, Indian Express reports.
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Kumar entered into politics by winning Municipal Corporation of Delhi in 1977 and then as a Delhi Councillor in the same year. In 1980, he attained his debut victory in Lok Sabha polls, and got re-elected in 1991, and 2004.
The 1984 anti-Sikh riots, also known as the 1984 Sikh massacre, took place following the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31. The incident has left thousands of people, majorly Sikhs, killed across India. As per the official figures, more than 2,700 people were killed in the riots.
