Sajjan Kumar, former Congress MP and 1984 anti-Sikh riots convict, dies in Delhi
Sajjan Kumar, former Congress MP and 1984 anti-Sikh riots convict, died on Thursday at the age of 80. He was brought dead to Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital, ANI reported, citing sources.
Kumar had been lodged in Tihar Jail, serving multiple concurrent life sentences in the riots case.
Sajjan Kumar’s involvement in 1984 anti-Sikh riots
Sajjan Kumar, a prominent figure linked to the political fallout of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, had faced multiple independent cases related to the violence. Although he secured a high-profile acquittal in one of the cases in early 2026, he remained in prison after being convicted in two separate cases and sentenced to life imprisonment.
On January 22, 2026, the Rouse Avenue Court acquitted former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, citing a lack of credible evidence establishing his presence at the scene of the crime or his involvement as a member of an unlawful assembly. The cases were linked with FIRs lodged in connection with anti-Sikh violence in Vikaspuri and Janakpuri areas in 1984.
Palam Colony case
In December 2018, the Delhi High Court overturned a lower court’s 2013 acquittal of Kumar in a case involving the killings of five Sikh men in Raj Nagar Part-I of Palam Colony and the burning of a local gurdwara.
The High Court convicted Kumar of criminal conspiracy and abetment in the killings and awarded him life imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life. The court also described the 1984 anti-Sikh violence as “crimes against humanity” in its landmark judgment.
Saraswati Vihar case
Kumar received another life sentence in February 2025 in the Saraswati Vihar case. The Rouse Avenue Court convicted him for his role in a mob attack in which a father and son, Jaswant Singh and Tarundeep Singh, were burned alive.
The prosecution had sought the death penalty, but the court sentenced Kumar to life imprisonment, taking into account his advanced age and health.
The two life sentences were concurrent, meaning Kumar remained jailed despite his acquittal in another case earlier this year.
