A Delhi court on Wednesday convicted former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar for his role in the killings of two Sikh men in Delhi’s Saraswati Vihar on November 1, 1984, during the anti-Sikh riots. The court will consider the quantum of the sentence on February 18.

Sajjan Kumar Found Guilty in 1984 Riots Case

The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which investigated the case, alleged that Kumar, who was then the Congress MP for Outer Delhi, led a mob that burned alive Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh. The prosecution also accused him of orchestrating the destruction and looting of their houses. The SIT was represented in the court by Additional Public Prosecutor Manish Rawat.

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Kumar’s defense team, including advocates Anil Kumar Sharma, Anuj Sharma, and Apoorva Sharma, argued that the complainants—Jaswant Singh’s wife and Tarundeep Singh’s mother—only came forward as eyewitnesses after a delay of seven years, making their testimonies unreliable.

Nevertheless, they were provided by senior advocate H S Phoolka and advocates Kamna Vohra and Gurbaksh Singh, who maintained the veracity of their allegations.

Background of the 1984 Riots

The 1984 anti-Sikh riots are triggered throughout Delhi and part of India out of a reaction to the killing of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. Her murder was revenge for having ordered the Army to attack the Golden Temple in Amritsar in June 1984 to eradicate the militants. The rioting caused a generalized outbreak of violence and caused thousands of casualties and serious property damage.

According to the FIR in this case, the FIR was lodged in 1991 based on an affidavit [given by] the Justice Ranganath Mishra Commission on 9 September 1985. The Commission was constituted in 1985 by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to inquire into the violence the organized nature of the violence in Delhi and in other affected regions, Bokaro, Chas, and Kanpur, and recommend preventive measures.

On 4th December 2021, the Court of Special Judge M K Nagpal on Rouse Avenue framed the charge against Kumar for murder, rioting/killing with a deadly weapon, unlawful assembly, and attempted culpable homicide.

Kumar Already Serving Life Sentence in 1984 Riot Cases

Currently, Sajjan Kumar is lodged in Tihar Jail, serving a life sentence handed down by the Delhi High Court in 2018 for his role in the killings of five Sikhs in Raj Nagar Part I, Palam Colony, on November 1-2, 1984. He was also sentenced for inciting the burning of gurdwara in Raj Nagar Part II.

In September 2023, Kumar was found not guilty in a murder case against the killing of 7 Sikhs in Sultanpuri during the riots. But, a counter allegation also in a new case against him is still there in the Rouse Avenue Court. Secondly, two appeals are pending in the Delhi High Court for his acquittal and another before the Supreme Court for his conviction.

Kumar’s sentence will be decided by the Delhi court on 18 February. This belief is an addition to the long-drawn legal process to deliver justice to the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh Riots.