Sajjan Kumar, former Congress MP in 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases, dies at 84
Sajjan Kumar, a former Congress member of Parliament who was convicted for his role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, died at Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi on Thursday. He was 84.
The hospital said Kumar was brought in by police at approximately 11 a.m. with an altered sensorium. Despite immediate resuscitation and life-support measures, he could not be saved and was declared dead at 12:30 p.m. A hospital statement said he had a known case of high blood pressure and Parkinson's disease, and had been admitted to hospital multiple times in the past.
The 1984 anti-Sikh riots erupted after the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Thousands of Sikhs were killed across India, with the violence particularly severe in Delhi. Kumar, then a Congress leader, was accused of inciting mobs and participating in the killings in several localities.
Kumar was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Delhi High Court on December 17, 2018, in a case related to the killing of five Sikhs and the burning of a gurdwara in Palam Colony. In February 2024, he received another life sentence in a case involving the murders of Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh in Saraswati Vihar. Both verdicts are currently under challenge in the Supreme Court.
In January 2026, a Delhi court acquitted Kumar in a separate case concerning violence in the Janakpuri area, citing the absence of credible evidence against him. Despite this acquittal, he remained in Tihar Jail because he was serving life sentences in the other two cases.
Kumar was a prominent Congress leader and represented the Outer Delhi constituency in the Lok Sabha for three terms. After his 2018 conviction, he resigned from the party. His death comes as legal proceedings related to the 1984 riots continue, with several appeals and trials pending in courts, and it brings renewed attention to the long-pending quest for justice for the victims.
