Ex-PM Manmohan Singh shares stage with 1984 riots accused Sajjan Kumar

New Delhi: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh stirred a fresh row on Saturday by sharing stage with 1984 riots accused Sajjan Kumar. Kumar, a Congress leader himself, was one of the key accused in the 1984 riots where 3,000 Sikhs were killed, mostly in Delhi, following assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by two of her Sikh bodyguards.

A video allegedly showing Manmohan Singh sharing stage with Sajjan Kumar, along with several others is going viral in social media. In 2013, Kumar was acquitted in a related case by a Delhi court. In 2016, Kumar got anticipatory bail in another case related to the 1984 riots, where he was accused of instigating a mob to kill two Sikhs in Janakpuri locality of the National Capital.

The BJP reacted to the incident expressing surprise as to why the former Prime Minister was so indiscreet about sharing dias with the kind of people he did today. 'Given the gravity of 1984 riots, with justice still to be done, we wonder whether this thought crossed Dr Singh's mind while sharing dias with a person who is considered involved in one of the most heinous crimes in Indian history,' senior BJP leader Nalin Kohli said. (UNI)