Archive · 20 Aug 2026
Sajjan Kumar Dies; Nanavati Report Detailed 1984 Riot Allegations
Sajjan Kumar was a former politician who was convicted for murders during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
He died in hospital while serving a life sentence.
The riots began after Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated in 1984.
A government inquiry called the Nanavati Commission examined what happened.
Several witnesses said Kumar helped lead, direct or encourage mobs attacking Sikhs.
The commission said there was credible material suggesting he was probably involved.
Kumar’s defence pointed to earlier criminal-case acquittals and questioned the witnesses’ accounts.
The commission also said police had failed to investigate many complaints properly.
Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar died at Safdarjung Hospital while serving a life sentence.
A Delhi court convicted Kumar in February 2025 for murdering Jaswant Singh and Tarundeep Singh.
The Nanavati Commission found credible material suggesting Kumar was probably involved in attacks on Sikhs.
The report linked allegations against Kumar to Palam Colony, Mangolpuri and Sultanpuri.
The commission cited poor police investigations, omitted names and cases that were not properly pursued.
- Who
- Sajjan Kumar, a former Congress MP; witnesses, police and the Nanavati Commission are central to the account.
- What
- Kumar died while serving a life sentence for the 1984 murders of Jaswant Singh and Tarundeep Singh; the commission had earlier found credible material suggesting his involvement in wider attacks.
- When
- Kumar died on Thursday; the murders occurred on November 1, 1984, and his conviction came in February 2025.
- Where
- He died at Safdarjung Hospital; the documented allegations concerned areas of west Delhi, including Palam Colony, Mangolpuri and Sultanpuri.
- Why
- The Nanavati Commission examined the riots and alleged failures by authorities to investigate attacks and identify influential suspects.
Commission Findings
Kumar’s Defence
Kumar’s alleged role
Commission Findings
The commission cited witnesses who said Kumar addressed or directed mobs, encouraged attacks and was present during violence in several west Delhi areas.
Kumar’s Defence
Kumar’s reply challenged the allegations, arguing that witnesses had not named him to police or had not supported the claims in court.
Value of earlier acquittals
Commission Findings
The commission said Kumar’s acquittals in eight cases did not prevent it from assessing the wider material gathered during the inquiry.
Kumar’s Defence
Kumar relied heavily on those acquittals and on the weaknesses of the witnesses’ earlier statements.
Police investigation
Commission Findings
The commission said complaints were not properly registered, eyewitnesses were not adequately examined and influential alleged assailants’ names were omitted.
Kumar’s Defence
The defence emphasized that the criminal cases had not established the allegations in court, including because witnesses’ accounts were disputed or unsupported.
- Cause of death context
- Sajjan Kumar died at Safdarjung Hospital while serving a life sentence.
- Conviction
- A Delhi court convicted Kumar in February 2025 for murdering Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh.
- Murder location
- The murders took place in Saraswati Vihar on November 1, 1984.
- Commission finding
- The Nanavati Commission said there was credible material that Kumar was probably involved as alleged by witnesses.
- Palam Colony deaths
- Police records cited by the commission recorded 246 Sikh deaths in the area between October 31 and November 5, 1984.
- Property damage
- The report said six gurdwaras, 385 houses, 110 shops and 45 vehicles were burnt in the area.
- Police records
- The commission said police recorded only five FIRs despite the scale of violence.