1984 anti-Sikh riots case: Prosecution seeks death penalty for ex-Congress MP Sajjan Kumar

NEW DELHI: The prosecution has sought the court to award the death penalty to former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, according to news agency ANI.



Kumar was convicted for the murder of a father-son duo in November 1984 in Delhi’s Saraswati Vihar.

On Tuesday, the public prosecutor submitted that the death penalty should be imposed, citing precedents from the Nirbhaya case and similar rulings.

Kumar’s senior counsel has also filed written arguments.

The court has scheduled the sentencing arguments for February 21.

'Kumar led the mob that killed Jaswant'

A Delhi court on Wednesday convicted Kumar of murder for instigating and leading a mob that killed a father and son during the anti-Sikh riots in Saraswati Vihar, northwest Delhi, 40 years ago.

Kumar, already serving a life sentence in another riot-related murder case, now faces either the death penalty or a minimum of life imprisonment.

Special Judge Kaveri Baweja based the verdict on testimonies from survivors of the mob attack on November 1, 1984, including Jaswant Singh’s wife, daughter, mother and niece. The court found that Kumar led the mob that killed Jaswant and his son, Tarundeep.

In a 139-page judgment, Judge Baweja highlighted the police’s failure to intervene despite witnessing the victims' distress. The court concluded that Kumar, as part of the unlawful assembly was guilty of murdering Jaswant and Tarundeep Singh. The father and son were brutally beaten and then set on fire by the mob.

The attackers also assaulted Jaswant Singh’s wife, daughter, and niece. The women recounted how Jaswant and his son were severely beaten, suffering grievous injuries.

In an attempt to shield them, Jaswant’s wife threw herself over her husband, while her niece tried to protect his son. Both women sustained injuries, with the wife suffering a fractured hand when someone forcibly removed her bangles.