Court sentences former Congress MP Kumar to life in prison in 1984 riots case
This story was originally published at 19:30 IST on 25 February 2025
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NEW DELHI – More than 40 years after the anti-Sikh riots of 1984, a Delhi court Tuesday sentenced former Congress member of Parliament Sajjan Kumar to life imprisonment for leading an "unruly" mob that murdered S. Jaswant Singh and his son S. Tarundeep Singh on Nov. 1. The court rejected the prosecution's demand for the death penalty for Kumar, who is already serving another life term for his role in a separate case from Delhi Cantonment.
Widespread anti-Sikh riots broke out in Delhi and other parts of the country after then prime minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her two Sikh bodyguards on Oct. 31, 1984. Thousands of Sikhs are believed to have been killed, their houses and shops burnt, and belongings looted in the frenzy.
According to the prosecution, Sajjan Kumar was leading a mob which, upon his instigation, burnt alive the father and son, looted their house, and burnt it down, inflicting severe injuries on family members and relatives.
On Feb. 12, the court had said it was established that Kumar had instigated the mob, which was armed with deadly weapons. The mob, an 'unlawful assembly' within the meaning of Section 141 of the Indian Penal Code, used force and violence in the prosecution of the common objective of looting, and committed the offence of rioting armed with deadly weapons, the court had said. "It has further been established that accused Sajjan Kumar, being a member of such unlawful assembly, is guilty of having committed the murder of S. Jaswant Singh and S. Tarundeep Singh," the court had said. End
Reported by Surya Tripathi
Edited by Rajeev Pai
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