NEW DELHI: A special court on Tuesday awarded life imprisonment to former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in murder case in connection with 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
Kumar was convicted for the murder of a father-son duo in November 1984 in Delhi’s Saraswati Vihar. Last week, the public prosecutor submitted that the death penalty should be imposed, citing Nirbhaya case and similar rulings.
Reacting to the verdict, Sikh leader Gurlad Singh said, "We will not accept anything less than the death penalty. We are not happy with the verdict of the court. We will appeal to the government to go to a higher court and announce death penalty for Sajjan Kumar."
Currently held in Tihar jail, Kumar faced charges related to leading a violent mob that engaged in widespread looting and arson targeting Sikh properties following Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assassination.
The mob attacked the house of the complainant, wife of Jaswant, killing the men aside from looting articles and setting their house ablaze, the prosecution claimed.
Last week, the Delhi court found Kumar guilty of orchestrating the killings in Saraswati Vihar, northwest Delhi, four decades ago. He was already serving a life term for another riot-related murder case.
Judge Baweja's 139-page verdict criticised police inaction despite witnessing the victims' plight. The court determined that Kumar, participating in the unlawful gathering, was responsible for the murders of Jaswant and Tarundeep Singh, who were brutally attacked and burnt alive.
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.
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