Who is Sajjan Kumar? 'Mastermind' of 1984 anti-Sikh riots, ex-Congress MP convicted for double murder

Sajjan Kumar has been convicted in a case over the murder of a father-son duo. (File photo)

Delhi's Rouse Avenue court on Wednesday convicted former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in a case over the murder of a father-son duo in Saraswati Vihar area during the anti-Sikh riots in 1984.

A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) judge found Kumar, who is currently serving a life sentence in another anti-Sikh riots case in Delhi Cantt, guilty. The case relates to the killings of Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh on November 1, 1984.

Families of victims and Sikh leaders on Wednesday welcomed former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar's conviction in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots murder case, demanding the harshest punishment to him.

The court will announce the quantum of the sentence on February 18 after hearing arguments from both the defence and prosecution.

Sajjan Kumar was a three-time Congress MP from the Outer Delhi constituency. He resigned from the primary membership of the party after he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in a case related to the riots in December 2018.

According to media reports, survivors of the riots blamed Kumar for being the “mastermind” of the attacks and alleged that he paid Rs 100 and a bottle of liquor to each attacker.

A fact-finding report by the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) also found that the riots were not a spontaneous reaction to Indira Gandhi's assassination but a deliberate attack engineered by Congress politicians, according to a Hindustan Times report.

Earlier, a Delhi High Court sentenced him to life imprisonment for the killings of five Sikhs in the Raj Nagar Part-I area in Palam Colony and for burning down a Gurudwara in Raj Nagar Part-II.

The Congress leader is also facing trial in a case related to riots in Janakpuri and Vikaspuri areas.