New Delhi, August 20, 2026
President of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee , Sardar Harmeet Singh Kalka, said in a statement today that the news of the death of Sajjan Kumar, an accused in the 1984 Delhi anti-sikh massacre, has evoked mixed emotions among the victim families and the sikh community. He said that on the one hand, those who have awaited justice for decades feel a measure of relief that a prominent accused in the case is no longer alive; on the other, there remains a deep sense of anguish that he did not live to face the ultimate punishment for his alleged crimes.
Kalka said that the 1984 anti-Sikh massacre remains one of the most painful and darkest chapters in the history of the sikh community.He added that thousands of innocent sikhs were brutally killed and countless families were devastated. Many families lost several members at the same time and have continued their legal battle for justice for the past four decades.
He said that the steadfast demand of the victim families has always been that those responsible for the 1984 massacre should receive the strictest punishment permissible under law, sending an indicative message across the nation that no individual is above the law, and neither political power, influence nor social status can shield anyone from accountability for a crime.
Kalka said that while Sajjan Kumar’s natural death may have brought a sense of relief to some victim families, it would have been a far more significant and historic moment for the victims if he had been taken to the gallows in accordance with the sentence awarded by the court.
He said that the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee has stood with the families of the 1984 victims throughout their long and relentless legal and social struggle, and this fight continues even today. The DSGMC believes that, in the remaining 1984 cases as well, the accused must be brought before the law and awarded the punishment they deserve.
He appealed to the governments and the courts to ensure a fair and time-bound resolution of the remaining cases related to 1984, including the case against Jagdish Tytler. He said that undue delay in the delivery of justice deepens the wounds of the victims. “Justice Delayed is Justice Denied” must not become a grim reality in these cases as well. Kalka said that the victims of 1984 and their families have fought their long battle for justice with extraordinary courage, patience and determination. He said that Sajjan Kumar’s death does bring some solace in the sense that a prominent accused in the 1984 massacre is no longer in this world, but true and complete satisfaction will come only when the remaining accused are also brought to justice and punished in accordance with law.
