Former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Saturday called former MP Sajjan Kumar “a killer of the Sikh community, a traitor” and that “he deserved to be shot in a public square”.Kumar, who was serving two life sentences in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, died at the age of 80 in New Delhi on Thursday.Advertisement“He hatched a conspiracy and got Sikhs killed. Serving two life sentences for crimes against the Sikh community, he died in prison — a dark reminder of an individual who disgraced humanity and justice. When I became chief minister, I demanded that he be handed over to our government. The Sikh community and Punjabis can never forgive him,” Channi, who is also MP from Jalandhar, said.The remarks come a day after party’s Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda described Kumar as a role model and termed his demise an “irreparable loss”.Channi said, “Sajjan Kumar is a killer of the Sikh community, a traitor. He conspired to have Sikhs killed…. Far from being a role model, even uttering his name is a sin. If such people become role models, then country will be destroyed. Such a criminal should have been made to stand in the public square and shot dead”.AdvertisementThe former CM went on to say that those who call him a role model, “they should control their tongue”. He further said the issue does not concern Sikh community alone and added, “this person shamed entire humanity”.Channi’s remarks brought to fore a sharp divide within the Punjab Congress where senior leadership either distanced themselves from Deepender’s statement or did not react at all.Party’s state unit chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring termed Deepender’s statement as “his personal view”.On Channi’s remarks, the 1984 anti-Sikh riots was a massive tragedy and “despite the passage of so much time, the trauma runs deep in people’s minds”. Justice for the victims has always been a priority for the Congress, he said adding that Kumar was now no more alive and he will get adjudicated in the court of God.Congress’ Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla said Kumar had committed “misdeeds,” had been punished, and that “a leader does not lead in harming others.”Kumar, a former three-time Congress MP from Delhi, had been convicted in 2018 by the Delhi High Court and awarded life term for killings and the burning of a gurdwara in the Raj Nagar area of New Delhi. He later received another life term in a related murder case. An acquittal in a separate matter was under challenge.Apart from Deepender calling Kumar a “role model”, his father and former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda referred to the deceased MP as a close friend. Another Haryana Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala posted tributes highlighting Kumar’s “grassroots connection, recognition of workers, and simple nature.” A two-minute silence was also observed in his memory during a Haryana Congress Legislature Party meeting. Other Congress figures, including Udit Raj, described Kumar’s death as a great loss for the party.The tributes provoked strong reactions. The BJP accused Congress of “eulogising the killers of the Sikh community” and of insulting 1984 victims, with spokespersons linking it to the party’s broader stance. Sikh organisations, Shiromani Akali Dal leaders, and families of riot victims condemned the statements, saying they reopened old wounds.Senior Advocate H.S. Phoolka criticised Congress for continuing to treat figures like Kumar as role models.Several Sikh leaders and members of the affected families staged a protest outside the residence of senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi demanding an apology an apology and clarification on whether the party regards Kumar as a “hero” or role model.In Chandigarh, Aam Aadmi Party MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said that if a Congress leader calls Kumar “his role model, it raises serious questions about the mindset and politics of the Congress party”. He demanded that Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge take immediate action over the statement and expel Deepender from the party.Dhaliwal also trained guns at Punjab Congress saying that should openly demand action against Deepender.Referring to Rahul Gandhi’s proposed visit to Punjab and Amritsar in coming days, Dhaliwal said that before coming to the land of Punjab, the Congress leadership must clarify its position on this matter.He said that with what face will Rahul Gandhi seek votes from the people of Punjab and Sikh voters when a senior leader of his party calls a person linked to the anti-Sikh violence of 1984 his “role model”.