Ex-Congress MP Sajjan Kumar, jailed in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, dies at 80
Sajjan Kumar, Three-Time MP Convicted in 1984 Riots, Dead at 80
Bharatmorningnews.com – Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital confirmed the passing of Sajjan Kumar on Thursday, 20 August, according to hospital sources cited by PTI. The former Congress parliamentarian, aged 80, had spent years behind bars following convictions tied to the communal violence that erupted after the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984.
A Political Career Cut Short by Conviction
Kumar had served three terms in the Lok Sabha representing the Outer Delhi constituency and was regarded as a senior figure within the Indian National Congress. He stepped down from the party after the Delhi High Court handed down his life sentence in December 2018, a verdict stemming from a case in which five Sikhs were killed and a gurdwara was set ablaze during the riots.
That conviction sent him to Tihar Jail, where he remained for several years. In February 2025, a Delhi court added a second life sentence, this time for a separate matter involving the deaths of two Sikh men during the same wave of violence.
Acquittal in a Separate Janakpuri Case
Earlier in the year, however, a Delhi court cleared Kumar of charges alleging he led a mob and incited violence in the capital's Janakpuri neighbourhood. The bench found the evidence insufficient and observed that witnesses had identified him as an accused only after a lapse of more than three decades.
Over the past thirty-plus years, Kumar was entangled in numerous criminal proceedings connected to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, with outcomes ranging from acquittals to convictions across different courts.
Final Days
ANI reported that Kumar was rushed to Safdarjung Hospital in an unresponsive state. Hospital authorities had not issued an official statement on his death as of the latest reporting. During his long incarceration, Kumar had repeatedly petitioned courts for bail and medical relief.
Among former elected representatives, Kumar stood out as one of the most high-profile figures to endure extended criminal proceedings over the upheaval that followed Indira Gandhi's murder in October 1984.
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