NEW DELHI: Former Congress leader and 1984 anti-Sikh riots convict Sajjan Kumar died in Tihar jail on Thursday at the age of 80.Kumar was brought dead to Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital, news agency ANI reported, citing sources.The three-time parliamentarian was serving a life sentence in connection with the 1984 Sikh riots that followed the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Who was Sajjan Kumar
Kumar began his political career as a municipal councillor from Delhi’s Nangloi in 1977. At the time, he was also the general secretary of the Pradesh Congress Committee.He was among the close allies of Indira Gandhi’s younger son, Sanjay Gandhi.Kumar rose through the political ranks and won the Outer Delhi Lok Sabha seat in the 1980 elections. He defeated Chaudhary Brahm Prakash, Delhi’s first chief minister.However, the aftermath of the 1984 riots brought his political career to a halt after he was accused of being criminally responsible for the violence.He withdrew from public glare and continued contributing to the party from behind the scenes.After a long gap, he returned to active politics, winning re-election to the Lok Sabha for a second term in 1991, and again in 2004.For more than three decades, Kumar faced several criminal cases linked to the violence. The cases saw different outcomes, including acquittals and convictions by various courts.In the Delhi Raj Nagar case, involving the killing of five members of a family and the burning of a gurudwara, the Delhi high court overturned a trial court’s acquittal on December 17, 2018. It convicted Kumar and sentenced him to life imprisonment.Kumar surrendered and had been in jail since December 2018 after resigning from the primary membership of the party.In the Saraswati Vihar murder case, involving the killing of Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh on November 1, 1984, a trial court had earlier acquitted Kumar. On February 25, 2025, Special Judge Kaveri Baweja sentenced him to a second life term.
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The court spared him the death penalty, citing his old age, ailments and conduct while serving his earlier life sentence.In the Janakpuri and Vikaspuri violence case, a Rouse Avenue court acquitted Kumar on January 22 of charges related to the killing of Sohan Singh and his son-in-law Avtar Singh, and the burning of Gurcharan Singh.On May 26, the Delhi high court issued notice on an appeal against the acquittal of former MP Sajjan Kumar in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.Kumar had repeatedly sought bail and relief on medical grounds during his imprisonment.
