34 Years Too Late? Delhi Patiala House Court Delivers First Death Sentence In 1984 Anti-Sikh Riot Case

In the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, two Sikh men identified as Hardev Singh and Artav Singh were killed in a mob in Mahipalpur village. The incident took place on 1 November 1984.

Today (20 November) over 34 years later, the Delhi Patiala House Court pronounced the death penalty on Yashpal Singh - a 1984 anti-Sikh riot convict and sentenced another convict, Naresh Sehrawat, to life imprisonment regarding the matter. Due to security reasons, the verdict was announced inside Tihar Jail.

Both the men were also charged with dacoity and attempt to murder. The complaint against the two was registered by Hardev Singh's brother, Santokh Singh, Times of India reports. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 35 lakh each on the convicts.

A special investigation team (SIT) was set up by the Home Ministry to investigate the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in 2015 and it was an eyewitness account which proved crucial to convicting the accused.

As per official records reports, over 2,800 Sikhs were killed across India while unofficial figures estimate the number to be about 8,000.