1984 Anti Sikh Riots: The Delhi High Court has accepted the CBI’s appeal against the acquittal of former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar and other accused in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. This decision has come on the petition of CBI in which there was a demand for reconsideration of the trial court’s decision, so that the voice of the victims of communal violence that broke out after the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi can be raised again.
Earlier, the trial court had acquitted Sajjan Kumar citing lack of evidence and contradictions in the testimony of witnesses. However, CBI has said in its appeal that new evidence has come to light, on the basis of which the case should be re-investigated. The 1984 riots remain a sensitive issue and the victims as well as the community are still demanding accountability of those involved in this violence.
What is the whole matter?
On October 31, 1984, the then Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her own security personnel, after which violence against Sikhs broke out. This incident was related to the murder of five Sikhs in the Cantonment area of Delhi. Kehar Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Raghuvinder Singh, Narendra Pal Singh and Kuldeep Singh were brutally murdered in Rajnagar area.
Based on the recommendations of the Justice GT Nanavati Commission set up to investigate the matter, a case was registered against Sajjan Kumar and other accused in 2005. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) presented two charge sheets against the accused in January 2010. The CBI informed the court that there was a deadly relationship between Sajjan Kumar and the police during the riots, which further increases the seriousness of the case.
Who is Sajjan Kumar?
Sajjan Kumar is a former Congress leader. He has been active in Delhi politics since the 1970s. He contested Delhi Municipal Corporation elections for the first time in 1977 and was elected councilor. Subsequently, in 1980 Lok Sabha electionsHe became MP by defeating Chaudhary Brahm Prakash. However, Congress did not give him a ticket in the general elections due to allegations of his involvement in the 1984 Sikh riots. Despite this, in 1991, Sajjan Kumar again succeeded in becoming an MP. In 2004, Congress once again gave him the Lok Sabha ticket and Sajjan Kumar contested from the Outer Delhi seat, in which he was again elected MP.
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