Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar died at the age of 80 on Thursday while serving a life sentence in Delhi’s Tihar Jail in connection with cases related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. According to ANI sources, Kumar was taken to Safdarjung Hospital, where he was declared brought dead.
Kumar’s death comes after years of legal proceedings over his alleged role in violence that followed the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in October 1984.
Who Was Sajjan Kumar?
Sajjan Kumar was a former Congress leader and Member of Parliament from Delhi. He was a prominent political figure in the capital before his name became closely associated with the long-running legal cases arising from the 1984 anti-Sikh violence.
The riots broke out after Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984. Large-scale violence against members of the Sikh community was reported in several parts of Delhi and other parts of the country.
Kumar faced multiple cases connected to killings during the violence.
Why Was Sajjan Kumar In Jail?
Kumar was serving a life sentence in two separate cases linked to the 1984 riots.
In the first major case, he was convicted over the killings of five Sikh members of a family in Palam Colony in the Delhi Cantonment area. A gurdwara was also set on fire during the violence.
The Delhi High Court sentenced Kumar to life imprisonment on December 17, 2018, after overturning his earlier acquittal in the case.
Second Life Sentence In 2025
Kumar was convicted again in February 2025 in another 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.
The case concerned the deaths of Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh in the Saraswati Vihar area of Delhi on November 1, 1984.
According to the prosecution case, the two men were attacked by a mob using sticks and iron rods before being set on fire.
A Delhi court sentenced Kumar to life imprisonment on February 25, 2025.
Kumar Was Also Acquitted In Another Riot Case
Kumar did not face convictions in every case brought against him.
In September 2023, a Rouse Avenue court acquitted him in a separate case involving the deaths of three Sikhs in the Sultanpuri area of Delhi during the 1984 violence.
A key prosecution witness, Cham Kaur, had alleged that Kumar was encouraging the mob during the violence. However, the court acquitted him in that particular case.
A Long Legal Battle Over 1984 Violence
The cases against Sajjan Kumar remained part of the wider legal battle over accountability for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
For decades, victims and families of those killed continued to seek justice in cases that had often faced delays and earlier acquittals.
Kumar’s convictions in 2018 and 2025 resulted in him spending his final years in prison while serving life sentences.
His death at 80 now brings his individual legal journey to an end, although the wider history and judicial proceedings surrounding the 1984 violence remain a significant chapter in India’s political and legal history.
