Sajjan Kumar Dies At 80: Former Congress MP Convicted In 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots Cases

Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar, a prominent figure in Delhi politics who spent his final years in prison over his role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, died on Thursday at the age of 80. Kumar, who was serving a life sentence at Tihar Jail, was taken to Safdarjung Hospital, where he was declared brought dead. The hospital has not disclosed the cause of death.

Kumar’s political journey, which began in the 1970s, eventually became closely associated with one of the most contentious cases arising from the 1984 violence against Sikhs.

From Delhi politics to a life sentence

Kumar entered electoral politics as a councillor in 1977 and later became a three-time Lok Sabha MP from Outer Delhi, beginning in 1980. He was considered an influential Jat leader in Delhi.

His political standing, however, changed dramatically following the anti-Sikh riots that erupted after then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984.

The violence spread across Delhi and other parts of north India, with Sikh families, businesses and places of worship coming under attack. Nearly 3,000 deaths were officially recorded in Delhi, although survivors and victims’ families have claimed the actual figure was higher.

2015 SIT reopened old riot cases

For decades, Kumar was not named as an accused in the cases arising from the riots. His name was also absent from the statements recorded by the Justice Rangnath Misra Commission and the Jain-Aggarwal panel, which examined the violence.

The investigation into old cases took a fresh turn in 2015 after the BJP government constituted a Special Investigation Team to look into cases that had earlier been closed.

That process eventually resulted in Kumar’s first conviction in 2018.

Two life sentences in separate cases

The Delhi High Court sentenced Kumar to life imprisonment in 2018 for his role in the killing of five people in Palam Colony during the 1984 riots.

A separate case brought another conviction in 2025. The High Court found him guilty in the deaths of two Sikh men in Saraswati Vihar on November 1, 1984, and handed him another life sentence.

Kumar was not convicted in every case against him. Earlier this year, he was acquitted in the Janakpuri-Vikaspuri violence case, in which three people were killed, after the court found insufficient evidence to establish the allegations against him.

Congress distanced itself from Kumar

Kumar’s political career effectively came to an end after the Congress withdrew election tickets from him and Jagdish Tytler, another accused in the 1984 riots cases, in 2009 amid political pressure.

He was subsequently kept away from the party’s active political mainstream.

Kumar remained in Tihar Jail while serving his sentence until his death on Thursday. He was 80.