‘There was fire everywhere’: 1984 riot survivors recall the horror after Sajjan Kumar’s death
Following the death of former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar, survivors of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots are reflecting on the trauma of the violence and the long wait for accountability. Eyewitnesses recount the destruction and loss of life they experienced during the riots.
Why it matters
This provides a human perspective on historical justice and the lasting psychological impact of communal violence on survivors.
For Harpal Singh, the news of former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar’s death on Thursday (August 20, 2026) brought back traumatic memories from over four decades ago.
“There was fire everywhere. He burnt people alive. He should have been killed long back,” said Mr. Singh, a 60-year-old car driver, recalling the violence he witnessed Kumar inflict on the Sikh community.
Mr. Singh had arrived in Delhi from Amritsar barely a month before the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, hoping to make a living in the city. He was 15. “I had left my home behind in the hope of making money. I was learning to drive and living at a relative’s house in Lajpat Nagar. When the attacks started, all I could see was fire everywhere,” he recalled.
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