New Delhi: Sajjan Kumar, who was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for his role in Anti-Sikh riots, surrendered himself in a Delhi Court on Monday. He was then taken to Mandoli Jail in east Delhi.
The former Congress leader was convicted in the killing of five members of a family in Raj Nagar and setting a gurdwara on fire on November 1, 1984 by the Delhi High Court. He was the parliamentarian of that area at the time.
Soon after the verdict on December 17, the 73-year-old had said he has three children and eight grandchildren and needed time to settle matters related to his property. He requested for one more month to surrender instead of the December 31 deadline, but his plea was turned down by the court.
Senior lawyer HS Phoolka, who has been representing victims of the anti-Sikh riots in courts for the last three decades, said that Sajjan Kumar had run out of legal options which is why he surrendered today. “We hope he doesn’t get relief in the Supreme Court,”,
Sajjan Kumar was in Congress for over four decades. His role in the party has been gradually subsided over the years. During the last three long decades there have multiple accounts by eyewitnesses and survivors stating that Kumar was seen inciting the mob.
Then PM Mrs. Indira Gandhi was slain by her own Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984. Anti-Sikh riots erupted in northern parts of India. At least 3,000 people were killed in the riots over the next four days.
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Ms Kalinga