A Delhi court on Wednesday convicted former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case linked to the killing of a father-son duo in Saraswati Vihar on November 1, 1984. Special judge Kaveri Baweja pronounced the verdict in Rouse Avenue Court, holding Kumar guilty of murder and other charges.
The case pertains to the killing of Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh during the anti-Sikh riots that erupted after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984. The prosecution stated that an armed mob engaged in large-scale looting, arson, and destruction of Sikh properties, leading to the murder of the victims and the burning of their houses.
The court noted that Sajjan Kumar not only participated in the mob but also led it. “There is sufficient material to form a prima facie opinion that he was not only a participant but had also led the mob,” the court order stated.
The matter has been listed for arguments on sentencing on February 18. Sajjan Kumar is already serving a life sentence in another anti-Sikh riots case related to killings in Delhi Cantt.
Welcoming the Verdict
The Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) welcomed the court’s decision.
“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 as well,” said DSGMC general secretary Jagdip Singh Kahlon.
Arguments in Court
Sajjan Kumar was produced before the court from Tihar Jail for the verdict. His counsel, Advocate Anil Sharma, argued that Kumar’s name was not initially present in the case and that his conviction in another riot case was still under appeal before the Supreme Court.
Additional Public Prosecutor Manish Rawat, countering the defence, stated that the victim did not initially know the accused but later identified him in her statement. Senior advocate H S Phoolka, who had earlier represented riot victims, argued that the police investigations were manipulated and that the 1984 Sikh riots were not isolated incidents but part of a larger massacre, resulting in 2,700 Sikh deaths in Delhi alone.
Who is Sajjan Kumar?
Sajjan Kumar is a former Congress MP who was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in the 1984 Sikh riots case in 2018. He began his political career as a Delhi Councillor in 1977 and later won the 2004 Lok Sabha elections from Outer Delhi.
According to witnesses, on November 1, 1984, he incited mobs to attack Sikhs in retaliation for Indira Gandhi’s assassination by her Sikh bodyguards.
