Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar, who was serving life imprisonment in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh killings in Delhi, died on Thursday, August 20, at Safdarjung Hospital. He was 81.
According to Safdarjung Hospital, Kumar was brought to VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital by police at around 11 a.m. with an altered sensorium. Doctors immediately admitted him and began resuscitation efforts. Despite medical treatment and life-support measures, he could not be saved and died at around 12:30 p.m.
The hospital said Kumar had a history of high blood pressure and Parkinson’s disease and had been admitted to hospital several times in the past.
Sajjan Kumar Was Serving Life Sentence in Tihar
Kumar was lodged in Tihar Jail while serving life sentences in multiple cases linked to the 1984 anti-Sikh violence.
The Delhi High Court sentenced him to life imprisonment on December 17, 2018, in a case involving the killing of five Sikh men in Palam Colony and the burning of a gurdwara. The court overturned his earlier acquittal by a trial court and found him guilty of criminal conspiracy and abetment.
The High Court described the 1984 violence as “crimes against humanity” in its judgment.
Kumar challenged the conviction in the Supreme Court, where the matter remained pending at the time of his death.
Acquitted in Some Cases, But Remained in Jail
Kumar had faced several cases related to the 1984 violence over the years. In January 2026, a Delhi court acquitted him in cases concerning alleged violence in the Janakpuri and Vikaspuri areas, citing an “absence of credible evidence”.
The acquittals, however, did not lead to his release because he was serving life sentences in other cases.
In another case concerning the deaths of Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh in Saraswati Vihar, Kumar was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Rouse Avenue Court. The prosecution had sought the death penalty, but the court considered factors including his advanced age and health while awarding life imprisonment.
Three-Time Lok Sabha MP
Kumar was a prominent Congress leader and served as a three-time Lok Sabha member from the Outer Delhi constituency.
He resigned from the Congress following his 2018 conviction.
The 1984 anti-Sikh violence broke out after the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards, Satwant Singh and Beant Singh, on October 31, 1984. Thousands of Sikhs were killed across India, with Delhi witnessing some of the worst violence.
