BJP President Nitin Nabin expresses displeasure over MPs' visit to Sajjan Kumar's residence
Three BJP MPs faced backlash after offering condolences to the family of the late Congress leader convicted in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.
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BJP president Nitin Nabin summoned three party MPs—Kamaljeet Sehrawat, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, and Yogender Chandolia—to express displeasure after they visited the residence of the late Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, who was convicted for 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
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Why It Matters
Sajjan Kumar was a former Congress MP serving a life sentence for his involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. He passed away in Tihar jail on August 20 at the age of 80.
NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Nabin on Saturday expressed displeasure after three party MPs from Delhi visited Congress leader Sajjan Kumar's residence to offer condolences following his death, news agency PTI reported, citing sources.
“BJP national president Nitin Nabin summoned these three MPs today and expressed his displeasure over their visit to Sajjan Kumar's residence,” a source in the party told PTI. This comes after Kamaljeet Sehrawat, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri and Yogender Chandolia visited the late Congress leader's residence and met his family.
Earlier, BJP leaders and former Delhi MLA HS Phoolka had slammed the party MPs, saying that sympathy should be reserved for the victims and their families of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. He also called for a boycott of the three MPs over their visit to Kumar's residence.
"Strongly condemn the visit of 3 MPs Kamaljeet Sehrawat, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri and Yogender Chandolia to mass murderer Sajjan Kumar's residence to offer condolences on his death. This is when the BJP has always supported our quest for justice against these culprits and supported us in ensuring that he stays in jail," Phoolka said in a post on X.
"Sympathy should be reserved for victims and their families - many of whom live the horror of those days even till now," he said. Sajjan Kumar was a former Member of Parliament and senior Congress leader who was serving a life term for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. He died at 80 on August 20 in Tihar jail.
The trial court, on February 25, 2025, awarded life imprisonment to Kumar for being part of the mob that set fire to the house of the victims and "brutally killed" the two victims, besides looting their belongings. It had also imposed a fine of around Rs 2.4 lakh on Kumar. Earlier, Kumar was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Delhi high court on December 17, 2018, in another case related to the killing of five Sikhs and the burning of a gurdwara during the anti-Sikh riots.
Open Questions
- Will the three MPs face formal disciplinary action from the BJP?
- How will the victims' families respond to further party actions?
