Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar, Convicted In 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots Case, Dies

New Delhi: Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar, who was serving a life sentence in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi, died on Thursday at Safdarjung Hospital, as per the PTI news agency. 

However, the hospital has not yet clarified the cause of his death. Kumar was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Delhi High Court on December 17, 2018, in a case related to the killing of five Sikhs and the burning of a gurdwara during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, as per PTI.

It is to be mentioned here that Sajjan Kumar was 80.  He was serving life imprisonment in Tihar Jail and was rushed to Safdarjung Hospital, where he was declared dead by doctors. However, no official statement has been issued by the hospital yet related to the cause of his death.

A prominent Congress leader, Kumar was a three-term Lok Sabha member and had represented the Outer Delhi constituency. Kumar quit the party after his conviction in 2018.

Who was Sajjan Kumar?

A known politician, Kumar was born on September 23, 1945, to Raghunath Singh and Mee Kaur. Before starting his political career, he was a bakery owner. In his first big post in Indian politics, he was sworn in as a  Delhi Councillor in 1977.

Later, he was elected to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and then became general secretary of the Congress' Delhi unit. Earlier, in 1980, he was appointed from the Outer Delhi constituency on a Congress ticket. Later, in 1991, he was re-elected to the Lok Sabha. Meanwhile, once again in 2004, he won the Outer Delhi seat with a record of over 8.5 lakh votes.