Congress Party Divided Over Reaction to Sajjan Kumar's Death

The death of Sajjan Kumar, a former Congress MP serving a life sentence in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, has struck a different chord within the Congress. Deepender Singh Hooda, Congress MP from Rohtak and son of former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, had described Sajjan Kumar's death as an "irreparable loss." He said the loss caused by Sajjan Kumar's death could not be compensated. Senior Punjab Congress leaders have now distanced themselves from Hooda's statement. Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring told the media in Chandigarh on Saturday, "What Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda said may be his personal view." He described the 1984 anti-Sikh riots as a "great tragedy" and said the wounds of the incident were still intact. Congress MP from Jalandhar and former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi reacted strongly to Sajjan Kumar's death on Saturday.