Who was Sajjan Kumar, ex Congress MP and 1984 riots convict

Sajjan Kumar, a former Congress Member of Parliament convicted for his role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, has died while serving a life sentence in Tihar jail. Doctors declared him dead after he was taken to Safdarjung Hospital.

Kumar's political journey began in Delhi, where he was elected a municipal councillor in 1977. He rose to become an influential figure within the Congress party in the capital. His political career culminated in his election to the Lok Sabha from Outer Delhi in 2004. However, his public life became inextricably linked with the violence that erupted after the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

In 2018, the Delhi High Court convicted Kumar for his involvement in the killing of five Sikhs and the burning of a gurdwara during the riots, sentencing him to life imprisonment. This conviction led to his resignation from the Congress party. His legal battles continued, with a Delhi court later sentencing him to life imprisonment in another case related to the killing of two Sikh men during the same period.

Witnesses and survivors accused Kumar of inciting mobs to attack Sikhs on November 1, 1984, a day after Gandhi's assassination. Allegations included him paying attackers and supplying them with alcohol. A report by the People's Union for Civil Liberties suggested the violence was not spontaneous but a coordinated attack allegedly orchestrated by Congress politicians. Kumar's legacy is defined by these convictions, marking him as a prominent Congress figure associated with one of India's darkest political episodes.