The Sajjan Kumar story and the politics of hate

Humans tend to forget history's harsh lessons quickly.

- Shashi Shekhar

Today those fanning communal tensions conveniently overlook the fact that such attempts in the past ended in devastation. Last Wednesday, another court indictment of former Congress Member of Parliament (MP) from Delhi, Sajjan Kumar, not only brought back the memories of the 1984 riots following the assassination of Indira Gandhi but forced us once again to reflect on our present-day world.

The court found Sajjan Kumar guilty last week in the murder of Jaswant Singh and his son. This was the result of a long, lonely and agonising struggle by Jaswant Singh's widow. During her decades-long travails, a time came when the police even filed a closure report in the case. Even when the brazen tactics to brush the case aside failed, Sajjan Kumar wasn't arrested for a long time. However, the law finally caught up with him.

Until now Sajjan Kumar has been found guilty of murdering five people. Those who perpetrated violence against the Sikhs should have been punished swiftly and decisively, yet even today many have been able to dodge the law. Swift legal action was necessary because the attackers and their handlers were also guilty of killing the spirit of the Constitution that enshrines and upholds human rights and the idea of fraternity as sacred. That makes the delay in delivering justice unpardonable.