Ex-Congress MP Sajjan Kumar convicted in 1984 anti-Sikh riots killings

A Delhi court on Wednesday convicted former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case related to the killings of Jaswant Singh and his son, Tarundeep Singh, in Saraswati Vihar on November 1, 1984. Special Judge Kaveri Baweja found Kumar guilty of leading a mob that killed the victims, looted their house, and set it on fire. The conviction comes after years of investigation into the large-scale violence that followed the assassination of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

The case was initially registered at the Punjabi Bagh police station before being transferred to a Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed on the recommendation of the Justice GP Mathur Committee. The SIT reinvestigated multiple cases that had been closed earlier and filed a chargesheet against Kumar, leading to the framing of charges against him on December 16, 2021. The court found sufficient material to establish that Kumar not only participated in the violence but also instigated and led the mob responsible for the killings.

Sajjan Kumar, who was already serving a life sentence in another 1984 riots case related to killings in Delhi Cantonment, was produced before the court from Tihar Jail for the pronouncement of the verdict. The court has scheduled arguments on sentencing for February 18. If awarded another life term, it could run concurrently or consecutively with his existing sentence, depending on the court’s final decision.

Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) General Secretary Jagdip Singh Kahlon welcomed the verdict, stating, “Sajjan Kumar, who was leading the Sikh massacre 40 years ago, has been convicted and he would be punished. I thank the court for this... I thank PM Modi and HM Amit Shah for forming an SIT after coming to power. This is the result of reinvestigating the closed cases... We hope to get justice in the Jagdish Tytler case also.”

The 1984 anti-Sikh riots erupted after Indira Gandhi’s assassination by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984, leading to widespread violence against the Sikh community across Delhi and other parts of India. Thousands were killed in the riots, with several cases taking decades to reach conviction. The SIT, formed in 2015, has reopened multiple cases, including those against high-profile political figures like Kumar and Jagdish Tytler.