Ex-Congress MP Sajjan Kumar, jailed in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, dies at 80
A three-time Lok Sabha MP, Sajjan Kumar represented the Outer Delhi constituency and was a prominent Congress leader.
Sajjan Kumar, a 80-year-old former Congress leader convicted for his role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, passed away in Delhi on Thursday, according to his lawyer. The doctors at Safdarjung Hospital declared him dead. Kumar was convicted by the Delhi High Court in 2018 and sentenced to life imprisonment for his involvement in the killing of five members of a Sikh family.
He was found guilty of criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity, and acts against communal harmony. The 1984 riots, which followed the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by Sikh bodyguards, resulted in the deaths of over 2,700 Sikhs in Delhi. In 2025, Kumar was once again sentenced to life imprisonment for allegedly leading a mob that burned alive Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh, as well as looting and destroying their houses.
However, Kumar was acquitted in a separate case related to inciting violence in Janakpuri in 1992, and was discharged in a 2023 case where he faced a murder charge.
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Also reported by 2 other outlets
- Sajjan Kumar, convicted in 1984 anti-Sikh riots, dies in Delhi indianexpress.com
- Sajjan Kumar, ex-Congress MP convicted in 1984 riots case, dies at 80 business-standard.com
