{"id":14497,"date":"2026-08-20T10:40:35","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T10:40:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=14497"},"modified":"2026-08-20T10:40:35","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T10:40:35","slug":"who-was-sajjan-kumar-from-3-time-congress-mp-to-1984-riots-convict-india-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=14497","title":{"rendered":"Who was Sajjan Kumar? From 3-time Congress MP to 1984 riots convict | India News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-133373930,imgsize-72124,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/former-congress-mp-sajjan-kumar-dies.jpg\" alt=\"Who was Sajjan Kumar? From 3-time Congress MP to 1984 riots convict\" title=\"Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar has died, Safdarjung Hospital authorities confirmed.\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar has died, Safdarjung Hospital authorities confirmed.\">Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar has died, Safdarjung Hospital authorities confirmed.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>NEW DELHI: Former <a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/topic\/congress-leader\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" commonstate=\"[object Object]\" frmappuse=\"1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Congress leader<\/a> and 1984 anti-Sikh riots convict Sajjan Kumar died in Tihar jail on Thursday at the age of 80.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"3\"\/>Kumar was brought dead to Delhi&#8217;s Safdarjung Hospital, news agency ANI reported, citing sources.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"6\"\/>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.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"8\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2><b>Who was Sajjan Kumar<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>Kumar began his political career as a municipal councillor from Delhi&#8217;s Nangloi in 1977. At the time, he was also the general secretary of the Pradesh Congress Committee.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"11\"\/>He was among the close allies of Indira Gandhi&#8217;s younger son, Sanjay Gandhi.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"15\"\/>Kumar rose through the political ranks and won the Outer Delhi Lok Sabha seat in the 1980 elections. He defeated Chaudhary Brahm Prakash, Delhi&#8217;s first chief minister.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"17\"\/>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.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"19\"\/>He withdrew from public glare and continued contributing to the party from behind the scenes.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"21\"\/>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.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"24\"\/>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.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"26\"\/>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&#8217;s acquittal on December 17, 2018. It convicted Kumar and sentenced him to life imprisonment.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"29\"\/>Kumar surrendered and had been in jail since December 2018 after resigning from the primary membership of the party.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"31\"\/>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.<\/p>\n<div class=\"LEzX4\">\n<div class=\"PmOGb\">\n<p class=\"PSf84\">Share your thoughts in the comments<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><button type=\"button\" class=\"sUTYm \">Insightful<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"sUTYm \">Agree<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"sUTYm \">Disagree<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"sUTYm \">Skeptical<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"sUTYm \">Concerning<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"sUTYm \">Promising<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"sUTYm \">Worth Reading<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"sUTYm \">Big Development<\/button><\/p>\n<p><textarea class=\"T9MbS\" rows=\"1\" placeholder=\"Add your Thoughts...\"\/><button type=\"button\" class=\"ZW6JD \" disabled=\"\">Post Comment<\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"swnca\">Be respectful \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indiatimes.com\/termsandcondition\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"gkv0P\">TOI community guidelines<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"34\"\/>The court spared him the death penalty, citing his old age, ailments and conduct while serving his earlier life sentence.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"37\"\/>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.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"39\"\/>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.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"41\"\/>Kumar had repeatedly sought bail and relief on medical grounds during his imprisonment.<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/india\/who-was-sajjan-kumar-from-3-time-congress-mp-to-1984-riots-convict\/articleshow\/133373870.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar has died, Safdarjung Hospital authorities confirmed. 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&#8217;s Safdarjung Hospital, news agency ANI reported, citing sources.The three-time parliamentarian was serving a life sentence in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14498,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-congress-mp-sajjan-kumar-dies.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-congress-mp-sajjan-kumar-dies.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-congress-mp-sajjan-kumar-dies.jpg","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-congress-mp-sajjan-kumar-dies.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-congress-mp-sajjan-kumar-dies.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-congress-mp-sajjan-kumar-dies.jpg","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-congress-mp-sajjan-kumar-dies.jpg","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-congress-mp-sajjan-kumar-dies.jpg","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-congress-mp-sajjan-kumar-dies.jpg","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-congress-mp-sajjan-kumar-dies.jpg","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-congress-mp-sajjan-kumar-dies.jpg","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-congress-mp-sajjan-kumar-dies.jpg","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-congress-mp-sajjan-kumar-dies.jpg","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-congress-mp-sajjan-kumar-dies.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar has died, Safdarjung Hospital authorities confirmed. 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&#8217;s Safdarjung Hospital, news agency ANI reported, citing sources.The three-time parliamentarian was serving a life sentence in [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":4,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":3,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-congress-mp-sajjan-kumar-dies.jpg",400,225,false],"medium":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-congress-mp-sajjan-kumar-dies.jpg",300,169,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/former-congress-mp-sajjan-kumar-dies.jpg",150,84,false]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/author\/admin"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-31\">\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14497","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14497"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14497\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}