Sajjan guilty

The conviction of former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar for his role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots is a grim reminder of the excruciatingly slow pace of justice in India. Over four decades after the horrific violence that claimed the lives of thousands of Sikhs, legal proceedings continue to stagger forward, offering little solace to the victims’ families. A Delhi court has found Kumar guilty of murder in connection with the killings of Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh in Delhi’s Saraswati Vihar. He has also been convicted of rioting, dacoity and other crimes. Yet, this verdict, while significant, does little to erase the anguish of those who have spent a lifetime fighting for accountability. Kumar is already serving a life sentence for another 1984 case and has managed to evade justice for decades. His political influence, coupled with institutional apathy, ensured that the victims’ cries were drowned in legal complexities and adjournments.

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The 1984 riots were not spontaneous acts of violence but a well-orchestrated pogrom enabled by political and police complicity. The involvement of prominent Congress leaders in inciting mobs was widely alleged, yet accountability was scarce. Investigative commissions were formed, cases were reopened, but convictions remained elusive. While Kumar’s sentencing may appear as a step forward, it also underscores the systemic failures that allowed perpetrators to roam free for so long.

For survivors and their families, justice delayed is justice denied. Many have passed away waiting for closure, while others live with the trauma of reliving their loss every time a long-overdue conviction makes headlines. The judiciary’s role in delivering justice is crucial, but without political will and institutional reform, such delayed verdicts serve as bitter reminders of how the system protects the powerful while failing the victims.