Our hope for justice has been crushed’: Survivors of 1984 anti-Sikh riots on Sajjan Kumar’s acquittal

January 22, 2026

New Delhi: Family members of victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots broke down outside the Rouse Avenue Courts on Thursday after a Delhi court acquitted former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in cases related to the alleged killing of three Sikhs during the violence.

Court acquits Sajjan Kumar in 1984 riot cases

Pronouncing a brief order, Special Judge Digvijay Singh of the Rouse Avenue Courts acquitted 78-year-old Sajjan Kumar in connection with the alleged killings of Sohan Singh and his son-in-law Avtar Singh in Delhi’s Janakpuri area, as well as another incident in Vikaspuri where Gurcharan Singh was allegedly set ablaze during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

Victims’ families protest verdict outside court

Soon after the verdict, family members of the victims raised slogans of “Sikho ke katilon ko fansi do” (hang the killers of Sikhs) and demanded capital punishment for those accused. Several survivors were seen crying inconsolably, while an elderly woman fainted outside the court premises during the protest.

“We have been fighting this case for 42 years, yet we haven’t got justice. If the government says he is not guilty, why was he kept imprisoned for so long? There were 18 cases against him,” a woman told IANS. She claimed that seven members of her family, including her father and six uncles, were killed during the riots. “They were burned alive in front of us. This was our hope, and today, it has been crushed,” she said.

Another woman, who lost ten family members in the violence, questioned the acquittal and said, “How can the person who hunted and killed Sikhs be acquitted? If he is innocent, then bring our family members back.”

Background of the case and earlier conviction

The case pertains to violence that erupted after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984. Decades later, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed on the recommendation of the Justice G.P. Mathur Committee to reopen 114 cases related to the riots.

In August 2023, the trial court framed charges against Sajjan Kumar under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) but dropped the murder charge under Section 302, which had earlier been applied by the SIT. The trial concluded on September 23, and the court reserved its verdict on December 22.

During the trial, Sajjan Kumar pleaded not guilty, claiming there was no material evidence linking him to the incidents and stating that he was not present at the sites of violence. On November 9, 2023, the court recorded the statement of victim Manjeet Kaur, who said she had heard from members of the mob that Sajjan Kumar was present during the violence, but clarified that she did not personally see him.

Sajjan Kumar, who was a Member of Parliament at the time of the riots, has been accused in multiple cases of inciting mobs against the Sikh community. In an earlier case, the Delhi High Court had convicted him and sentenced him to life imprisonment, observing that he had evaded justice for decades due to “political patronage.” His appeal against that conviction is currently pending before the Supreme Court.