News Leak Centre

No Fear No Favour

A prominent Congress leader Sajjan Kumar accused of Sikh Riots is sentenced to Life-Time Imprisonment

Sajjan Kumar found guilty in 1984 Sikh riot case

On Monday, The Delhi high court found Congress leader Sajjan Kumar guilty for his role in the 1984 Sikh riots and convicted him life-time imprisonment. The high court said Kumar’s life imprisonment will be a reminder for rest his life and High Court has asked Sajjan to surrender by 31 December and He has been asked to not leave the city in the meantime. While reading out the judgement, the High Court remarked that Kumar had “enjoyed political patronage and escaped trial”.

A bench of justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel also convicted Kumar for the offences of abetment, delivering speeches instigating violence against Sikhs and disrupting communal harmony, saying “truth will prevail and justice will be done”.

In 2013 the trial court had acquitted Sajjan Kumar in this case. While five other accused format councillor Balwan Khokhar, retired naval officer captain Bhagmal, Gridhari lal, Kishan Khokharin, and former MLA Mahender Yadav. These were convicted in the case relating to the murder of five members of a family in Raj Nagar area of Delhi on November 1, 1984. High Court has held Bhagamal, Gridhari and Khokhar to life-time imprisonment. Whereas Yadav & Khokharin have been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Eyewitnesses have claimed that Sajjan Kumar, a Congress parliamentarian, had goaded the mobs in the national capital to attack and kill members of the Sikh community. Cham Kaur, a key witness in the case, had identified Kumar as an accused in Delhi’s Patiala Court last month. She told the court that she had seen Kumar inciting a mob in Sultanpuri area against Sikhs, telling them that “Sikhs had killed our mother.” ”

After that  Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said “This was the worst kind of genocide. Thousands of innocents were burnt and killed by mobs led by Congress leaders. Instead of ensuring justice, the Congress government indulged in a cover-up,”.

What was the case?

In 1984, days after Indira Gandhi was shot dead by her Sikh bodyguard on October 31, a mob instigated by Sajjan Kumar killed five Sikhs — Kehar Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Raghuvender Singh, Narender Pal Singh and Kuldeep Singh — in Raj Nagar area of Delhi Cantonment as anti-Sikh riots broke out in the capital. He was also accused of extending political patronage to the rioters.

About Sajjan Kumar

Sajjan Kumar, born on September 23, 1945, in Delhi, is a veteran Congress leader and was a member of 14th Lok Sabha representing the Outer Delhi constituency. He was first elected to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi in 1977 and was sworn as Delhi Councillor in the same year. Sajjan Kumar is one of the most notable persons accused in connection with the 1984 Sikh massacre. Eyewitnesses have testified how Sajjan Kumar incited mobs to kill Sikhs in the aftermath of Indira Gandhi’s assassination.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *