Ex-Congress MP Sajjan Kumar dies at 80: Rise, 1984 riots conviction and final years in Tihar jail

Former Congress MP and veteran Delhi politician Sajjan Kumar died on Thursday after his health deteriorated while he was serving a life sentence in Tihar Jail in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. He was taken to Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

Kumar, once a powerful figure in Delhi politics, had a political journey that took him from municipal politics to the Lok Sabha. He served as a three-time Member of Parliament and remained an influential Congress leader in Delhi for several decades.

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From tea shop to Delhi politics

Born on September 23, 1945, Sajjan Kumar entered politics after winning a Delhi Municipal Corporation election. Before entering public life, he reportedly ran a tea shop and was also associated with the bakery business.

His entry into electoral politics was helped by Chaudhary Hira Singh, then a prominent Jat leader in Delhi. Singh helped Kumar secure a Congress ticket through senior Congress leader HKL Bhagat.

Kumar won the municipal election and quickly established himself as an influential figure within the Delhi Congress.

Rise after the emergency

Kumar's political influence grew following the Emergency. In 1977, when an anti-Congress wave swept across the country, the Congress suffered a major setback in Delhi.

Kumar was among those who played an active role in the Congress's jail bharo movement against the Janata Party government. His growing prominence helped him secure a Congress ticket for the 1980 Lok Sabha election from Outer Delhi.

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He won the election, defeating Chaudhary Brahm Prakash, Delhi's first chief minister, who was popularly known as the "Sher of Delhi".

Close ties with the Gandhi family

Kumar's victory in 1980 strengthened his position within the Congress. His association with Sanjay Gandhi also helped him consolidate his influence in Delhi politics.

He remained an important Congress figure and returned to Parliament after winning the 1991 Lok Sabha election. The party also gave him a ticket in the 2009 Lok Sabha election.

For years, Kumar was regarded as a key Congress leader and a political kingmaker in Delhi.

1984 Anti-Sikh riots cast a shadow

Kumar's political career was later overshadowed by the 1984 anti-Sikh riots that erupted in Delhi following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

He was accused of playing a role in instigating violence against members of the Sikh community. His political fortunes began to decline, although his influence within Delhi politics remained significant for some time.

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The legal cases stemming from the riots eventually brought his political career to an end.

Life imprisonment and Congress exit

In December 2018, the Delhi High Court sentenced Kumar to life imprisonment in one of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases. Following the verdict, he resigned from the primary membership of the Congress.

He subsequently surrendered before the court and was lodged in Tihar Jail, where he remained imprisoned while serving his sentence.

Final years in Tihar jail

Kumar spent the final years of his life in Tihar Jail. His health deteriorated during his imprisonment, after which he was shifted to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi. Doctors later declared him dead.

With his death, the political journey of a controversial and once-powerful Delhi leader came to an end — a journey that began in municipal politics, took him to Parliament and eventually ended with a life sentence for his role in a case linked to one of the darkest chapters in Delhi's history.