Congress Ex-MP Sajjan Kumar Dies While Serving Life Sentence in 1984 Sikh Massacre Case

NEW DELHI, Aug 20: Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar, convicted for his role in the 1984 Sikh Massacre, died on Thursday at the age of 80 after being brought from Tihar Jail to Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital, where he was declared dead.

Kumar was serving a life sentence in Tihar Jail in connection with the killing of five people during rioting in the Palam Colony area on November 1 and 2, 1984, following the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

The Delhi High Court had convicted Kumar in the case in December 2018 and sentenced him to life imprisonment. He surrendered and had remained in custody since then. He later challenged the conviction and sentence before the Supreme Court.

Kumar had faced several cases linked to the 1984 Sikh Massacre over more than three decades, with courts delivering both acquittals and convictions in different matters.

In another case concerning the killing of Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh in Saraswati Vihar on November 1, 1984, a Delhi court sentenced Kumar to a second life term on February 25, 2025. The court spared him the death penalty, citing his age, ailments and conduct during his imprisonment.

However, on January 22 this year, a Rouse Avenue Court acquitted Kumar in a case relating to alleged incitement of violence in Janakpuri and Vikaspuri during the 1984 Sikh Massacre case. The case concerned the deaths of Sohan Singh and his son-in-law Avtar Singh and the burning of Gurcharan Singh.

On May 26, the Delhi High Court issued notice on an appeal challenging Kumar’s acquittal in that case.

Kumar had repeatedly sought bail and relief on medical grounds during his imprisonment. His death brings to an end the life of one of the most prominent former public representatives to face prolonged criminal proceedings over the 1984 anti-Sikh massacre. (Agencies)