20 Aug : Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar, who was serving a life sentence at Delhi’s Tihar Jail in connection with a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, died on Thursday. He was 80.
Kumar’s health deteriorated while he was in prison. Authorities rushed him to Safdarjung Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead.
The Delhi High Court sentenced Kumar to life imprisonment on December 17, 2018.
The court found him guilty of causing the deaths of five people during rioting in Palam Colony on November 1 and 2, 1984.
The violence followed the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Kumar challenged the High Court’s punishment before the Supreme Court. His appeal remains pending before the top court.
The case relates to violence that erupted in Delhi following Indira Gandhi’s assassination in 1984.
Kumar faced prosecution over his alleged role in the deaths during the Palam Colony incident.
The former MP remained in custody while his legal challenge continued before the Supreme Court.
Kumar represented the Congress in the Lok Sabha before his conviction. His death comes while the apex court was still considering his appeal against the life sentence.
The 1984 anti-Sikh riots remain one of the most significant episodes of communal violence in India’s recent history.
The case against Kumar continued for decades before the Delhi High Court delivered its 2018 verdict. His death at Safdarjung Hospital marks the end of his legal proceedings personally, although his pending appeal before the Supreme Court remains part of the judicial record.
