Assassination of Arjun Dass
On 4 September 1985, at 9:20 am in New Delhi, Arjun Dass, a Delhi Metropolitan Council member and close associate of Sanjay Gandhi, was assassinated by three Sikhs: Harjinder Singh Jinda, Sukhdev Singh Sukha, and another member of Jinda’s group. They attacked Dass outside his crowded auto-parts shop. Dass’s bodyguard and another guard were killed, and six people were injured. The shooters fled after firing 29 bullets, shouting “Long live Khalistan.”
The killing was carried out in revenge for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, a period of violence against Sikhs following the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Eyewitnesses and human rights groups have alleged that Dass helped lead mobs during the riots, including a mob that desecrated the Sikh holy book, Guru Granth Sahib.
Before Dass’s murder, Jinda and Sukha had drawn up a hit list of politicians they blamed for the riots. Lalit Maken, a Congress MP, was killed on 31 July 1985, and other names on the list included H. K. L. Bhagat, Jagdish Tytler, Sajjan Kumar, Dharam Das Shastri, Jasbir Singh Jatt, Arjun Dass, and K. C. Pant.
In the aftermath, Delhi authorities increased security and set up roadblocks. The Home Ministry planned anti-terror squads in major cities, and many politicians named on the hit list received enhanced protection.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 02:42 (CET).