Watch | 1984 Killings: Life Term for Sajjan Kumar After 34 Years Is Warning to Guilty of 2002

The family members of the victims of the 1984 massacres have managed the impossible – to get a top politician convicted. The verdict makes it clear to those who have escaped being called to account so far that their day will also come.

The Delhi high court on Monday sentenced Congress leader Sajjan Kumar to life imprisonment for his role in the 1984 Sikh killings. The bench reversed the judgment of the trial court that acquitted him in 2013. It took 34 years for Kumar to be convicted.

The victims of the 1984 Sikh killings and their families have finally managed to convict and end to jail one top politician involved in the massacres. This has given rise to hopes that other politicians involved in 1984 and similar instances of mass violence – such as in Gujarat in 2002 or Bombay in 1993 – will also one day be called to account.

The passage of time cannot stop the tide of justice, says Arfa Khanum Sherwani.