A court here on Wednesday acquitted Sajjan Kumar in a case related to the murder of a Sikh man, Surjit Singh, during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, giving the former Congress MP the “benefit of the doubt”.
The court acquitted two other accused — Ved Prakash Pial and Brahmanand Gupta — stating that the prosecution had failed to prove the case of murder and rioting against them.
Kumar was accused of various offences, including IPC Section 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion, race, etc.), 109 (abetment of any offence), 302 (murder), and 147 (rioting).
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal reacted sharply to the development, calling it “a black day for minorities and secularism, a blot on justice, human rights, and the rule of law in the country”.
“This has hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community, which is still waiting for closure to the wounds afflicted by the Congress party and its henchmen, who are still evading justice on one pretext or the other. The acquittal amounts to sprinkling salt on the wounds of the community,” he added.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) described Kumar’s acquittal as “very painful” for the riots survivors and the Sikh community that has been seeking justice for the last nearly 40 years.
“This is a testimony to the failure of governments and the lackadaisical prosecution in punishing the 1984 Sikh genocide-accused when credible evidence and witnesses are present,” the SGPC said, adding that the agencies weren’t probing the cases properly.
Kumar is currently lodged in Tihar jail after being convicted in another riots-related case.
