New Delhi: Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar, who was serving a life sentence in Tihar Jail in connection with cases related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots died at the age of 80 on Thursday. He was rushed to Safdarjung Hospital, where the doctors declared him brought dead. The hospital has not yet clarified the cause of his death.
Cases against Sajjan Kumar
Kumar faced multiple major criminal cases linked to orchestrating and inciting violence during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi following the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He was convicted in major murder cases and acquitted or discharged in others due to evidentiary standards.
On December 17, 2018, the Delhi High Court overturned a 2013 trial court verdict acquitting Kumar in the case. He was subsequently convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
The case concerned the murder of five Sikh men in Raj Nagar Part-I, Palam Colony, as well as the burning of a gurdwara during the widespread violence.
The High Court held Kumar guilty of criminal conspiracy and abetment and directed that he remain in prison for the rest of his natural life. In its judgment, the court had described the 1984 anti-Sikh violence as "crimes against humanity".
Kumar's challenge to his conviction and sentence remains pending before the Supreme Court. Earlier this year, in January, a Delhi court acquitted Kumar in two separate cases related to allegations that he had incited violence in the Janakpuri and Vikaspuri areas during the 1984 riots.
However, the acquittals did not lead to his release, as Kumar continued to serve life sentences in other cases linked to the violence. In February 2025, the Rouse Avenue Court handed Kumar another life sentence in the Saraswati Vihar case. He was convicted for his involvement in a mob attack in which a father and son, Jaswant Singh and Tarundeep Singh, were allegedly burned alive.
The prosecution had sought the death penalty for Kumar. However, the court awarded him life imprisonment, taking into consideration factors including his advanced age and health condition.
