What happened (survivor accounts linked to the Sajjan Kumar case)
After the death of former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar, survivors and Delhi residents recalled experiences from the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and the long-term fear that survivors say continued for decades.
A survivor named Harpal Singh (name changed) described trauma from witnessing killings and arson soon after arriving in Delhi from Amritsar. Harpal Singh’s account, as presented, includes violence against Sikh men, with Sikh men reportedly targeted in his presence and people reportedly burned.
Another survivor, Anand Banerjee (name changed), described riots that began in Kidwai Nagar. Anand Banerjee reported that a Sikh man’s store was destroyed, followed by an attack on a gurdwara and burning of the gurdwara. Anand Banerjee also reported that buses were set on fire and that people were killed and injured. Anand Banerjee stated that some Sikh colleagues returned to work with hair cut and without turbans to conceal identity after the violence.
The narrative includes testimony from Jagdish Kaur. Jagdish Kaur said she experienced what she viewed as a failure of justice and alleged police and army complicity. Jagdish Kaur reported that a mob beat her husband (a gun-fitter in the Army) inside their home and that her son was burned alive after he tried to flee. Jagdish Kaur alleged that when she approached a police station to lodge a complaint, she heard Sajjan Kumar allegedly attempting to incite a mob against Sikhs. Jagdish Kaur further alleged that the FIR (First Information Report—an initial written complaint that triggers investigation) was registered only after several days, while bodies reportedly remained at her home.