Cong leader Sajjan Kumar gets life term in 1984 riots case

A Delhi court on Tuesday awarded life imprisonment to former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in a murder case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Special judge Kaveri Baweja pronounced the judgement for the alleged killing of Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh on November 1, 1984. The complainant, wife of Jaswant, and the prosecution had sought death penalty for Kumar. The offence of murder carried a maximum punishment of death penalty, while the minimum sentence was life imprisonment. Apart from life imprisonment, Kumar has been sentenced to two years under Section 147 for rioting, three years and a fine under Section 148 for rioting with deadly weapons, and seven years under Section 308 for attempting culpable homicide with intent to cause death or serious harm.
The court on February 12 convicted Kumar for the offence and sought a report from Tihar Central Jail on his psychiatric and psychological evaluation in view of a Supreme Court order asking for such a report in cases attracting capital punishment. Kumar is currently lodged in Tihar jail.
The case is part of the larger wave of violence that erupted following the assassination of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards in retaliation for Operation Bluestar. "We will not accept anything less than the death penalty. We are not happy with the verdict of the court. We will appeal to the govt to go to a higher court and announce death penalty for Sajjan Kumar," Sikh leader Gurlad Singh said.
Though Punjabi Bagh Police Station registered the case, a special investigation team took over the investigation much later. The prosecution alleged a huge mob, armed with deadly weapons, resorted to large-scale looting, arson and destruction of properties of Sikhs to avenge the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.The mob attacked the house of the complainant, wife of Jaswant, killing the men aside from looting articles and setting their house ablaze, the prosecution claimed.