1984 anti-Sikh riots: Delhi court convicts Sajjan Kumar in murder case
text_fields
former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar.
New Delhi: A Delhi court on Wednesday convicted former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in connection with the murder of a father-son duo in Saraswati Vihar during the anti-Sikh riots of 1984. The conviction pertains to the killings of Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh on November 1, 1984.
Special Judge Kaveri Baweja pronounced the conviction order and scheduled arguments on the quantum of sentence for February 18.
The case was heard after additional submissions by Public Prosecutor Manish Rawat. The defense, led by Advocate Anil Sharma, argued that Sajjan Kumar's name was added belatedly, 16 years after the incident. He also noted that an earlier conviction of Kumar by the Delhi High Court is currently under appeal in the Supreme Court.
Countering this, Additional Public Prosecutor Rawat pointed out that the victim did not initially recognize Kumar, but later named him upon becoming aware of his identity.
Senior advocate H.S. Phoolka, representing the riot victims, alleged that police investigations were manipulated to shield the accused. He argued that the extraordinary nature of the riots warranted a different approach to dealing with these cases. Referring to the Delhi High Court's judgment in a related case from Delhi Cantonment, Phoolka reiterated that the 1984 riots were a “crime against humanity” and not isolated incidents. Official records indicate that 2,700 Sikhs were killed in Delhi during the violence.
The case was initially registered at Punjabi Bagh police station before being transferred to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up on the recommendations of the Justice G.P. Mathur Committee. The committee had advocated reopening 114 cases, including this one.
On December 16, 2021, the court framed charges against Sajjan Kumar under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 147 (rioting), 148 (armed rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly), 302 (murder), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 395 (dacoity), 397 (robbery with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt), 427 (mischief causing damage), 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance), and 440 (mischief committed with intent to cause grievous hurt).
The SIT alleged that Kumar led the mob and instigated them to kill the victims. The rioters allegedly burned Jaswant Singh and his son alive, looted and destroyed their property, set their house on fire, and inflicted severe injuries on other family members.
During the investigation, key witnesses were identified, and examined, and their statements recorded under Section 161 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). The complainant's statement, recorded on November 23, 2016, detailed the looting, arson, and murders, as well as the injuries suffered by her and other victims, including her sister-in-law, who later succumbed to her injuries. She further revealed that she had identified Sajjan Kumar after seeing his photograph in a magazine about one and a half months after the riots.
With IANS inputs