Political leaders demand death penalty for Sajjan after life sentence in 1984 riots case

Political leaders have expressed mixed reactions following the life imprisonment sentence handed down to former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar by the Rouse Avenue Court for his involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. While some welcomed the verdict, others demanded a harsher punishment, including the death penalty, for Kumar, who was convicted for the killing of a father and son during the riots.

BJP national secretary RP Singh, while welcoming the sentence, urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to request the CBI to challenge the verdict in a higher court and appeal for the death penalty. “Today, Congress leader Sajjan Kumar has been awarded the life imprisonment verdict for the killing of a father and son. A son was burnt alive in front of the father, who was also set on fire later, all under Sajjan Kumar’s orders. This was not a normal killing; it was a genocide. We were expecting a death penalty,” Singh said.

“I request PM Modi and Amit Shah to request the CBI to appeal for the death penalty for him in the higher court.”

BJP leader Amit Malviya, in a social media post, also reacted to the verdict, stating, “Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar, a close aide of Rajiv Gandhi and later Sonia Gandhi, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the 1984 Sikh genocide. The wheels of justice have started moving. Several other senior Congress leaders, including one who was in the race to become Congress president, will soon meet their fate. The long arm of the law will catch up.”

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva expressed disappointment that the Congress had not expelled Sajjan despite his conviction. He questioned Rahul’s hesitation in removing a criminal from their party. “What compulsion prevents the Congress from removing such a criminal from their party?” Sachdeva asked. “The images of the anti-Sikh massacre remain fresh in the minds of the people of Delhi and the entire nation — a time when mass killings happened in the open, and the Congress government remained silent.”

Jagdeep Singh Kahlon, general secretary of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), expressed disappointment that Kumar was not given the death penalty but acknowledged that justice had still prevailed after 41 years. “We are upset that someone like Sajjan was not given the death penalty. I believe if he had been given a death sentence, it would have been better, and we would have felt satisfied. After 41 years, even if he got life imprisonment, justice has prevailed. I respect the verdict of the court,” Kahlon said.

Sirsa urges Congress to break silence on matter

Meanwhile, Delhi's Food Supply, Industry, Environment and Forest Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa called on the Congress leadership, including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, to break their silence regarding the life sentence handed to Sajjan Kumar by the Rouse Avenue Court on Tuesday.

Sirsa expressed his surprise at the Congress leadership's “studied silence” on the issue, particularly when the entire country has welcomed the Delhi court's decision to sentence the former Congress leader to life imprisonment. “It is shocking that the Congress leadership has remained silent on the matter. While the nation is celebrating the sentencing of Sajjan Kumar, the Congress party, including the Gandhi family, has failed to address the issue,” Sirsa said.