Sajjan Kumar dies on day court was to hear his 1984 riots appeal

Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar, who was serving a life sentence for his role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi, has passed away at the age of 80. Kumar had been hospitalized since 2018 due to multiple health issues. He was brought to Safdarjung Hospital from Tihar Jail on Thursday morning, August 20, where he was pronounced dead.

The Delhi High Court had sentenced Kumar to life imprisonment in 2018 for the killing of five Sikhs at Raj Nagar Part I and the burning of a gurdwara in Raj Nagar Part II during the riots. Kumar's appeal against the 2018 conviction was set to be heard that same day. His lawyers had also requested parole due to Kumar's advanced age and medical condition, as well as that of his wife.

Kumar was also convicted in February 2025 for another murder linked to the riots, this time for burning alive Sikh man Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh in Saraswati Vihar on November 1, 1984. In January 2026, a Delhi court acquitted Kumar in a case related to inciting violence in Janakpuri and Vikaspuri during the riots, ruling that there was no evidence of his involvement.

Kumar had been accused in two FIRs over the violence in Janakpuri, where two men were killed, and in Vikaspuri, where a man was set on fire. Despite being acquitted in four other cases, Kumar had appealed against his conviction in one case, which remained pending in the Supreme Court. The 1984 anti-Sikh riots resulted in the deaths of over 2,700 Sikhs, with only 13 convictions and 253 acquittals so far.