Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar Dies at 81 While Serving Life Term

Former Congress leader and three-term Lok Sabha member Sajjan Kumar has passed away at the age of 81 after being taken from Tihar Jail to Safdarjung Hospital, where he was declared brought dead. Kumar was serving a life sentence following convictions connected to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

What Happened

Kumar, who had been incarcerated since December 2018, experienced deteriorating health in Tihar Jail and was transferred to Safdarjung Hospital on Thursday, August 20, 2026, where officials declared him brought dead. His custody began after the Delhi High Court reversed an earlier trial court acquittal regarding the 1984 killing of five members of a Sikh family and the burning of a gurdwara. Following that ruling, he resigned from the Congress party and surrendered to authorities.

During his imprisonment, Kumar faced additional judicial proceedings. In February 2025, a Delhi court handed him a second life sentence for the killing of Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh in Delhi’s Saraswati Vihar area. While the prosecution requested the death penalty, the court imposed a life sentence citing his age and health conditions. Earlier in the year, he received an acquittal in a distinct case regarding violence in Janakpuri and Vikaspuri because the prosecution could not establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt, though he remained imprisoned due to his prior life terms.

Key Highlights

• Demise: Sajjan Kumar passed away at 81 after being brought to Safdarjung Hospital from Tihar Jail.
• Political Career: Born in 1945, he served as an MCD councillor in 1977, held organizational roles in the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee, and won election to the Lok Sabha from Outer Delhi in 1980, 1991, and 2004.
• Denial of Ticket: Amid mounting scrutiny over the 1984 violence, the Congress party denied him a ticket for the 2009 general election.
• Legal History: After a 2013 trial court acquittal, the Delhi High Court convicted him in December 2018 to imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life. An appeal against this verdict was pending before the Supreme Court.
• Second Conviction: In February 2025, he received another life sentence for the Saraswati Vihar killings, while an investigation revisited through a 2015 Union government Special Investigation Team resulted in a separate acquittal in January.

Why This Matters

Kumar was an influential figure in Delhi politics across multiple decades, rising from local civic administration to national parliament while being associated with the organizational apparatus around Sanjay Gandhi. However, his political standing became inseparable from the 1984 anti-Sikh violence that followed the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984.

His demise presents political implications for the Congress party ahead of the Punjab Assembly election, where memories of the 1984 killings remain deeply sensitive. While party media department chairman Pawan Khera publicly expressed sympathy to Kumar’s family, the senior Congress leadership maintained an immediate silence.

What to Watch Next

While Kumar’s death brings an end to the pending criminal appeals and proceedings directly concerning him, the broader political discourse and debates over accountability for the 1984 violence remain active. Further information regarding his last rites has not yet been formally released.

Frequently Asked Questions

What led to Sajjan Kumar’s imprisonment in 2018?

He was imprisoned in December 2018 after the Delhi High Court overturned his 2013 trial court acquittal, finding him guilty of criminal conspiracy, abetment, and other offences linked to the killing of five Sikh individuals and the burning of a gurdwara in 1984.

How many terms did Sajjan Kumar serve in the Lok Sabha?

Kumar was a three-term member of Parliament representing the Outer Delhi constituency, having won elections in 1980, 1991, and 2004.

What was the outcome of his other legal cases?

In February 2025, a Delhi court sentenced him to life imprisonment for the murders of Jaswant Singh and Tarundeep Singh in Saraswati Vihar. In January, he was acquitted in another case concerning incidents in Janakpuri and Vikaspuri due to lack of proof beyond reasonable doubt.

Source: Based on reporting from The Hindu.