Sajjan Kumar dies: Recalling the panels that probed 1984 anti-Sikh riots

Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar, who was serving a life sentence for his conviction in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi, died on Thursday (August 20, 2026). He was convicted in 2018, more than three decades after the violence that followed the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The riots, which claimed over 3,000 lives, have since been examined by multiple commissions and committees.

Here is a look at the major inquiries that investigated the carnage over the years.

Marwah Commission (1984): Indian Police Service officer Ved Marwah was tasked with inquiring into the role of the police during the November 1984 violence. A committee under his name was constituted for this purpose. While the inquiry was underway, several police officers approached the Delhi High Court opposing it. As Marwah completed his inquiry in mid-1985, the Home Ministry directed him not to proceed further. The complete records of the Marwah Commission were taken over by the government and later transferred to the Misra Commission.

Misra Commission (1985): Appointed in May 1985, this commission was headed by Justice Ranganath Misra, then a sitting judge of the Supreme Court. It submitted its report in August 1986, which was made public in February 1987. The commission recommended the formation of three additional committees.

Jain-Banerjee Committee (1987): Headed by former Delhi High Court judge Justice M.L. Jain and retired Inspector-General of Police A.K. Banerjee, this committee recommended in August 1987 that cases be registered against then Congress MP Sajjan Kumar. However, no case was filed, and the Delhi High Court disbanded the committee in October 1987.

Potti-Rosha Committee (1990): Formed by the V.P. Singh-led National Front government, this committee included former Gujarat High Court judge Justice P.S. Poti and retired Indian Police Service officer P.A. Rosha. It also recommended filing cases against Kumar. The Central Bureau of Investigation attempted to arrest Kumar, but he obtained anticipatory bail. Poti and Rosha subsequently resigned, and the panel's term ended in October 1990.

Jain-Aggarwal Committee (1990): Retired Delhi High Court judge Justice J.D. Jain and retired Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police D.K. Aggarwal were members. It recommended registration of 48 cases, including against Congress leaders H.K.L. Bhagat, Sajjan Kumar, Dharamdas Shastri and Jagdish Tytler. The committee wound up in August 1993 without any action against the politicians.

Narula Committee (1993): Appointed in December 1993 by the Madan Lal Khurana-led Bharatiya Janata Party government in Delhi, this committee was headed by Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Ranjit Singh Narula. It submitted its report in January 1994, recommending registration of cases against Bhagat, Kumar and Tytler.

Nanavati Commission (2000): Constituted by the National Democratic Alliance government, this commission was headed by retired Supreme Court judge G.T. Nanavati. It submitted its report in 2005, recommending filing a case against Kumar and reopening only four of 241 cases that the police had closed. A case was registered against Kumar following the commission's report.

Centre-appointed Special Investigation Team (2015): Appointed by the Narendra Modi government in 2015, this SIT re-investigated several riot-related cases. However, it closed 186 cases without further investigation.

Supreme Court-appointed SIT (2018): A Supreme Court bench headed by then Chief Justice Dipak Misra constituted a three-member SIT in 2018 to probe the 186 cases that were not investigated by the Centre-appointed SIT. This SIT's work continued, and Kumar's conviction in 2018 came from a separate trial connected to the riots.