Archive · 21 Aug 2026
Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar Dies During 1984 Riot Sentence
Sajjan Kumar was a former Congress politician and three-time member of India’s Lok Sabha.
He represented the Outer Delhi constituency.
He died in Delhi on August 20, 2026, after becoming seriously unwell in Tihar Jail.
He was taken to Safdarjung Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival or after emergency treatment, according to differing reports.
The hospital did not initially give a specific cause of death, although one report cited high blood pressure, Parkinson’s disease and previous hospital admissions.
In 2018, the Delhi High Court convicted him over the killings of five Sikh men and the burning of a gurdwara during the 1984 anti-Sikh violence.
In 2025, he received another life sentence over the killings of Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh.
He was cleared in separate Janakpuri and Vikaspuri cases, but those acquittals did not free him.
Reports also disagreed about whether his Supreme Court appeal was pending or had been rejected.
Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar died at Safdarjung Hospital on August 20, 2026, after being taken from Tihar Jail.
Doctors declared Kumar brought dead; hospital reports said he had multiple ailments, but the exact cause of death was not initially disclosed.
The Delhi High Court convicted him in 2018 over five Sikh killings and the burning of a gurdwara in Raj Nagar, Palam Colony.
A Delhi court sentenced Kumar to another life term in February 2025 for the Saraswati Vihar killings of Jaswant Singh and Tarundeep Singh.
He was acquitted in Janakpuri and Vikaspuri cases, while reports differed over the status of his Supreme Court appeal and other challenges.
- Who
- Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar, who was serving life imprisonment.
- What
- Kumar died while imprisoned after convictions in cases linked to the 1984 anti-Sikh violence.
- When
- August 20, 2026; he was convicted in the main Raj Nagar case in December 2018 and sentenced in the Saraswati Vihar case in February 2025.
- Where
- He was taken from Tihar Jail to Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi.
- Why
- His health deteriorated, but the hospital did not initially disclose a definitive medical cause of death.
Convictions and Prosecution Findings
Acquittals and Legal Challenges
Responsibility for the violence
Convictions and Prosecution Findings
Courts convicted Kumar in cases involving five Sikh deaths, the burning of a gurdwara, and the killings of Jaswant Singh and Tarundeep Singh.
Acquittals and Legal Challenges
Kumar was acquitted in separate Janakpuri and Vikaspuri cases after the court found insufficient evidence of incitement or conspiracy.
Sentence in the Saraswati Vihar case
Convictions and Prosecution Findings
Prosecutors sought the death penalty after Kumar was convicted over the killings of Jaswant Singh and Tarundeep Singh.
Acquittals and Legal Challenges
The court imposed life imprisonment, citing factors including his advanced age, health and conduct in prison.
Status of the Supreme Court appeal
Convictions and Prosecution Findings
Several reports said Kumar’s challenge to the 2018 conviction and sentence remained pending, and the appeal was scheduled for consideration around the day he died.
Acquittals and Legal Challenges
One report said his lawyer’s appeal had been rejected, contradicting accounts that described it as pending.
- Age
- Most reports said Kumar was 80; one report described him as 81.
- Political career
- Three-time Lok Sabha member representing Outer Delhi.
- Death
- He was taken from Tihar Jail to Safdarjung Hospital on August 20, 2026.
- 2018 conviction
- Life imprisonment over five Sikh killings and the burning of a gurdwara in Raj Nagar, Palam Colony.
- 2025 conviction
- Life imprisonment for the Saraswati Vihar killings of Jaswant Singh and Tarundeep Singh.
- Other cases
- A Delhi court acquitted him in separate Janakpuri and Vikaspuri cases in January 2026.
- Legal proceedings
- Reports differed over whether his Supreme Court appeal remained pending or had been rejected; other appeals were also reported as pending.
Sources
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