Overview
- Sajjan Kumar was brought from Tihar Jail to Safdarjung Hospital and declared brought dead on Thursday, August 20, 2026, after doctors said resuscitation measures failed.
- The hospital said he had altered sensorium on arrival and a history of high blood pressure and Parkinson’s disease.
- Kumar had been convicted in multiple 1984‑riots cases, including a Delhi High Court life sentence in December 2018 for the Palam Colony killings and a 2025 Rouse Avenue Court life term in the Saraswati Vihar murders.
- His death has produced sharp political reactions with some Congress figures offering condolences and Punjab Congress leaders condemning any praise, calling him a killer of Sikhs.
- The 1984 anti‑Sikh violence killed thousands in Delhi and produced a decades‑long, slow path to accountability with relatively few convictions, and Kumar’s death will close his active appeals while leaving victims and courts to address the legal and political aftermath.