Indian politician gets life over 1984 anti-Sikh riots
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A veteran Indian politician was given a life sentence on Monday over anti-Sikh riots in 1984 that killed nearly 3,000 people following the assassination of then-premier Indira Gandhi.
The Delhi High Court found Sajjan Kumar, 73, guilty of instigating mobs during the mass killings triggered by the death of Gandhi at the hands of her Sikh bodyguards.
At the time, Kumar was an MP with the then-ruling Congress party. He was acquitted in 2013 but the High Court reversed the judgement on appeal from federal investigators.
Also read: The Day of Judgement
He was found guilty over a case involving the murder of five members of a Sikh family in New Delhi after key testimonies from eye witnesses.
A two-judge bench convicted Kumar for criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity and acting against communal harmony, the Press Trust of India and other local media reported.
“It is important to assure the victims that despite the challenges truth will prevail,” the court said, according to the NDTV news network. “The aftershock of those atrocities is still being felt.”
Kumar, who has been asked to surrender by the end of this month, will have to spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Last month, another accused, Yashpal Singh was sentenced to death for murder and rioting.
The 1984 carnage erupted just hours after Gandhi was shot dead at her residence in New Delhi. It lasted three days with Sikhs raped and murdered, their homes and businesses torched.
Gandhi was killed over her decision to use military force to expel Sikh separatists from inside the Golden Temple, Sikhism's holiest shrine in the northern Indian city of Amritsar. Sikhs make up some two per cent of Hindu-majority India's population of 1.25 billion.
Critics accuse Congress of turning a blind eye to the killings and the role of leaders such as Kumar and Jagdish Tytler. Kumar, Tytler and others have always denied any wrongdoing.
Last week, Congress named Kamal Nath as the chief minister of the central state of Madhya Pradesh despite allegations that he had led one of the mobs during the riots.
Kumar last won a parliamentary election in 2004 but was forced to withdraw from the 2009 polls over the rioting allegations.
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On DawnNews
Comments (63) Closed
Dec 17, 2018 02:49pm
Indian democracy, where every one is equal and no one is above the law.
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Dec 17, 2018 02:50pm
Though late Democracy, and Rule of law at work in India.
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Dec 17, 2018 02:58pm
Truth prevails... despite all the hurdles put in the judicial road by the Congress
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Dec 17, 2018 03:00pm
All thanks to Modiji’s govt.
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Dec 17, 2018 03:11pm
Justice, What couldnt be done in 30 years, done in 3 years, under Modi.
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Dec 17, 2018 03:14pm
Decision should have come years before but congress patronage only delayed the justice.
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Dec 17, 2018 03:20pm
Strangely the Indian judiciary coming into action after three decades just before a year before the call of 2020 referendum by Sikh community.
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Dec 17, 2018 03:23pm
Bravo to the Indian justice system -- one should give credit where it is due.
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Dec 17, 2018 03:42pm
Both Politically and Economically the Sikhs are the most powerful Population of India.
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Dec 17, 2018 03:48pm
Justice delayed is justice denied.
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Dec 17, 2018 03:50pm
Congress also made Bangladesh.
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Dec 17, 2018 04:11pm
Well done india
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Dec 17, 2018 04:31pm
Too little, too late. Killers of hundreds of Sikhs roam freely.
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Dec 17, 2018 04:36pm
Only 34 years to decide
Does justice prevails ? Who cares after three decades
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Dec 17, 2018 04:45pm
@Jamil Soomro, New York City, wrong. Gujaratis are more powerful people in India and labelled as job creators.Eg: Ambanis, Solankis, Adanis, Patels, Mehtas and many more in Surat( place where 95% diamonds in world are polished)
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Dec 17, 2018 05:50pm
@Pakistan Ahmed , congress cares.
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Dec 17, 2018 05:58pm
Finally!! My vote for Mr. Modi.
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Dec 17, 2018 06:00pm
Too little, too late.
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Dec 17, 2018 06:48pm
No wonder why sikhs have become rebel
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Dec 17, 2018 07:08pm
Thank You Modi , from Pakistan
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Dec 17, 2018 07:23pm
Justice hurried, justice buried.
Justice delayed, justice denied.
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Dec 17, 2018 08:01pm
Just a small fish in a ocean of big fishes. Newly elected MP CM Kamalnath was one of the chief orchestrators. Eventually he will also go to jail.
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Dec 17, 2018 08:04pm
This is commonplace here in our country.
Nothing big.
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Dec 17, 2018 08:06pm
Pressure from Sikhs for justice and referendum 2020 did it.
Too late too little
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Dec 17, 2018 09:18pm
Happy that justice prevailed. Sad that it took three decades. Everyone knows the name of three Congress leaders who led the carnage. One is dead. One convicted today. One is still roaming freely.
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Dec 17, 2018 09:20pm
Yes too little, too late because he was saved during Congress rules by his party.
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Dec 17, 2018 09:21pm
Shame on india. It took 30 years and people are praising, like the case was concluded in 30 days
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Dec 17, 2018 09:32pm
Let's wait for another 20 years for punishing politicians involved in Godhra killing.....
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Dec 17, 2018 09:39pm
@Jacky, "All thanks to Modiji’s govt."
Is the police and court influenced by the govt in your 'best democracy'?
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Dec 17, 2018 09:42pm
a vegetarian mass murderer of India
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Dec 17, 2018 10:01pm
@Chandan, except Modi and his RSS gang of butchers.
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Dec 17, 2018 10:08pm
Indian democracy and legal institutions are a joke. It has taken over 2 decades to find this individual guilty! It sounds more like appeasement to the Sikh community. Too little too late and not a serious attempt to punish the guilty.
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Dec 17, 2018 10:41pm
law will catchup one day in a democratic country, criminals can not escape.
bu it is regrettable it has taken 3 decades because of political patronage, mentioned by judge himself!
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Dec 17, 2018 10:48pm
@Pakistan Ahmed , I do.
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Dec 17, 2018 11:00pm
Why it took so long?
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Dec 17, 2018 11:09pm
Let's see when the people who were killed for eating beef will get justice? another 30 years may be
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Dec 17, 2018 11:13pm
@Sweets, thats why congress hate gujaratis. They blame Ambani and Adani. Basically congress hates India.
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Dec 17, 2018 11:33pm
@ahmed, YOu do realize, most of the time, congress govt was in power who did everything in power to delay justice.
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Dec 17, 2018 11:38pm
If this was done alot sooner, there wouldn't have been as much dissent by some sikhs towards the state. Lessons to be learnt.
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Dec 17, 2018 11:39pm
Justice delayed is justice denied. This is coming after 3 decades, was the courts governments sleeping? I feel ashamed to be part of a society which did this heinous act. It cant be undone but just want to apologise to all our Sikh brothers that this happened. Hopefully, each and every culprit will meet its fate.
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Dec 18, 2018 12:01am
@Chandan, modi is still on the loose.
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Dec 18, 2018 12:12am
Indian democracy , thousands of Sikhs were raped and murdered, and one guy was found guilty after 38 yrs , and thousands of Muslim women raped and thousands murdered in Gujarat under the eyes of the chief minister, and nothing happened , this is Indian Democracy.Muslims continue to be murdered under the pretext of eating cow meat , this is democracy.
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Dec 18, 2018 12:20am
And this still goes on.
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Dec 18, 2018 12:24am
@Sweets, Such arguments are useless and against love & compassion. Sardar Patel, nor Gandhi ever spoke so, recently a man from Thackeray family spoke in Gujrat and said Gujatis must not be given jobs in railway at Maharashtra, almost same situation felt by urban Sindhis in Pak, a discriminatory quota system clamped since decades, and educated urban guys have no jobs. India is a biggest country, and it can offer opportunities to millions of people to get jobs, and work together for regional uplift, like EU, PM Imran Khan has often talk about this. Once a massive trade, travel, opens up, the other issues will automatically subside, the TAPI Gas prject in progress and soon India will join it. Today we are living in 2018 not 1984, the vibrant media and Internet has mould the mindset, people are more educated,more aware, about cooperation and economic uplifts through friendships , today the days of jealousy and narrow thinking are over, today people of India-Pakistan love each other.
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Dec 18, 2018 12:28am
Now if only the Great Indian Justice System would punish the 'Butcher of Gujarat' under whose CMship 2000 innocent Muslims were massacred and who was banned from entering the USA before he became the PM.
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Dec 18, 2018 12:54am
Yes they had to that to stop sikh uprising. What about Modi's criminal acts of assisting killing Muslims in Gujrat?
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Dec 18, 2018 12:54am
@SATT, Get this straight. Congress did not make Bangladesh. Congress just wiped out East Pakistan for ever and the result was the birth of a new nation.
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Dec 18, 2018 01:16am
@Jamil Soomro, New York City, - No. Indians are the most powerful in India.
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Dec 18, 2018 01:26am
Justice delayed is justice denied.
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Dec 18, 2018 01:27am
He is about to die anyway. It’s justice denied
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Dec 18, 2018 01:32am
When are big fishes from Congress Kamal Nath, who is incumbent CM of MP, and Jagdish Tytler going to be indicted?
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Dec 18, 2018 04:50am
Justice delayed is justice denied.
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Dec 18, 2018 05:16am
1 convicted in 30 years for murder of 4000 innocent Sikhs. Indian justice? Justice delayed is justice denied.
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Dec 18, 2018 07:47am
So those who instigated the destruction of Babri mosque will also be charged soon??
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Dec 18, 2018 08:05am
@Mahmud , Pervez Musharraf, Ishq Darr, are on run from Judiciary, and Vijay Mallaya is getting extradited. Thats is the difference.
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Dec 18, 2018 11:22am
@Chandan, Modi is above law for genocide of Gujarati Muslims.
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Dec 18, 2018 12:21pm
@Anand, not for long
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Dec 18, 2018 09:58pm
What about gujrat muslims mass murderer y he s not punished ...he s made pm
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Dec 18, 2018 10:03pm
Y mass murderer of gujrat muslims was not punished made pm instead
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Dec 18, 2018 10:49pm
The conviction matters because sajjan kumar was among the four main top congress coordinators of the genocide. They were the shoulders and eyes of Rajiv Gandhi and the congress party during the party sponsored genocide.
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Dec 19, 2018 12:46am
Khalistan will be on the world map very soon.
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Dec 19, 2018 01:31am
@Chandan, it just took 44 years for rule of law kicking in.
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Dec 19, 2018 09:11am
@ahmed, Sikhs are 1.72% of India's population. The referendum is an attention grabbing ploy masterminded by UK and Canada Sikhs with the support of we know who!
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