स्वर्गीय सज्जण कुमार यांच्यावरील वक्तव्यावरून राहुल गांधींच्या...

By GT24x7 Reporter · 22 August 2026 · GlobalToday24x7

Tensions escalated in Central Delhi on Saturday, August 22, 2026, as prominent Sikh community leaders and representatives of families affected by the 1984 anti-Sikh riots gathered outside the official residence of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at 5 Sunehri Bagh Road. The demonstration was organized to voice strong objections against alleged remarks by certain Congress functionaries portraying former party leader Sajjan Kumar as a "hero" and "role model" following his recent demise. To prevent any unauthorized breach or safety disruptions along the high-security diplomatic corridor, Delhi Police personnel established multi-layered steel barricades and deployed heavy security forces across all surrounding intersections.

The protest follows the death of Sajjan Kumar, an 80-year-old former Congress Member of Parliament who passed away on Thursday, August 20, 2026, while serving a life sentence at Tihar Jail for his criminal conviction in the 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases. Demonstrators expressed deep outrage over attempts to rehabilitate the image of a leader legally held responsible for one of the most tragic episodes in post-independence Indian history. Holding placards and shouting slogans, victim families demanded an immediate official clarification and an unconditional public apology from the central leadership of the Indian National Congress.

Judicial Legacy of the 1984 Riots and Public Outrage

Sajjan Kumar was serving life imprisonment following landmark judgments by Indian courts regarding his role in inciting and leading violent mobs during the targeted violence in Delhi after the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. In December 2018, the Delhi High Court sentenced him to life in prison for the killings of five Sikhs in the Palam Colony area. Furthermore, in February 2025, a Delhi court handed him a second life sentence for his direct involvement in the Saraswati Vihar mob attack that resulted in the deaths of two men.

Community representatives emphasized that celebrating or praising a convicted perpetrator re-opens deep psychological wounds for surviving families who spent over four decades pursuing judicial accountability.

Security Deployment and Political Demands

During the hours-long demonstration, police officials restricted vehicular movement near Sunehri Bagh Road and Motilal Nehru Marg to maintain public order. Delegation leaders reiterated that the Congress leadership must explicitly disassociate itself from statements praising Kumar and issue a formal policy affirming respect for court convictions related to the 1984 violence.

Senior police officers eventually persuaded the demonstrators to submit a formal memorandum outlining their grievances, after which the gathered crowd dispersed peacefully.