Chandigarh, August 22: Punjab BJP President Kaul Singh Dhillon condemned Congress leaders for referring to Sajjan Kumar, a former MP accused in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, as a “role model.”
Dhillon stated that this remark has once again exposed the party’s anti-Sikh mindset. He emphasized that even after 42 years since the horrific riots, the wounds of the victim families remain unhealed. At such a sensitive time, calling the main accused a “role model” is an appalling attempt to rub salt into the wounds of the victims and revive their painful memories.
He further asserted that the condemnation of Congress’s anti-Sikh mentality cannot be overstated. The party has repeatedly acted in ways that hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community. He demanded an unconditional apology from Congress for the irresponsible and shameful statements made by its leaders towards the victim families and the entire Sikh community.
Sajjan Kumar, who was serving a life sentence for his role in the riots, passed away at the age of 80 on Thursday in a hospital in Delhi. He was transferred to Safdarjung Hospital after his health deteriorated while in Tihar Jail. Doctors declared him dead upon arrival at the hospital.
The former Congress leader was convicted for his involvement in the violence that took place in the Palam Colony of Delhi on November 1 and 2, 1984, following the assassination of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards.
On December 17, 2018, the Delhi High Court overturned a 2013 trial court decision that had acquitted Kumar. He was subsequently found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment.
This case involved the murder of five Sikh men in Raj Nagar Part I of Palam Colony and the burning of a gurdwara during widespread violence. The High Court found Kumar guilty of criminal conspiracy and incitement, ordering that he spend the rest of his life in prison. The court classified the 1984 anti-Sikh violence as a “crime against humanity.”
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