Punjab Congress leaders on Friday distanced themselves from party MP Deepender Singh Hooda’s description of former Congress MP and 1984 anti-Sikh riots convict Sajjan Kumar as a “role model nationwide”. Congress leaders Gurjeet Singh Aujla and Raj Kumar Verka said they stand with the victims of the violence.
Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla, speaking in Amritsar, said Kumar had been held accountable and punished for his actions. He said the party stood with the families and people who lost their lives during the violence.
Aujla said Kumar had committed wrongs and had faced punishment for them. He added that a leader should not be involved in harming others and said he stood with those who died.
Asked about Hooda’s comment, Aujla said it could be the personal view of the Congress MP. He made it clear that his own position was to stand with the victims, regardless of who was affected.
Punjab Congress working president Raj Kumar Verka also said the party’s first concern was the victims and people who suffered during the violence.
Verka said Kumar’s life remained surrounded by controversy and that the issue was particularly painful for Punjab and its people. He said that if Kumar was held responsible for the violence, the innocent victims should come first.
“I don’t know who said what. We are Punjabis and we will continue to stand with Punjabis,” Verka said when asked about Hooda’s statement.
Congress MP Manish Tewari chose not to comment directly on Hooda’s remarks. He said he had not read the statement and therefore did not want to comment on it. He added that Hooda could explain his own remarks.
Hooda had earlier praised Kumar after his death. He described his passing as a major loss to the country’s political landscape and said Kumar was regarded as a “role model nationwide”.
The statement drew sharp criticism from BJP leaders. BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu attacked the Congress over its response to Kumar’s political legacy.
Bittu alleged that Kumar and his associates had targeted Sikh families during the 1984 violence. He also accused the Congress leadership of protecting Kumar for years.
Bittu alleged that Kumar and his associates had carried out attacks against Sikhs and their families in Delhi during the violence. He claimed Kumar remained protected until 2014.
He also referred to the legal battle led by senior lawyer H S Phoolka, after which Kumar was sentenced to life imprisonment and sent to jail. Bittu demanded that both the Punjab and Delhi units of the Congress clarify their position on Hooda’s remarks.
Sajjan Kumar, 84, died at Safdarjung Hospital on Thursday. Hospital officials said he had been suffering from high blood pressure and Parkinson’s disease. He died around 12.30 pm despite attempts at resuscitation and life support.
Kumar had served as a three-time parliamentarian and was later convicted in cases linked to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. In December 2018, the Delhi High Court overturned his acquittal in the Raj Nagar case and sentenced him to life imprisonment. He remained in jail thereafter.
In February 2025, a Delhi court handed Kumar another life sentence in the Saraswati Vihar murder case. The case involved the killing of Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh during the 1984 violence.
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