Kumar surrendered in Delhi's Karkardooma Court, complying with an order by the Delhi High Court which on December 17 sentenced him to imprisonment for the "remainder of his natural life."

The High Court had declined his plea for extension of time to surrender from December 31 to January 31.

He was convicted for the killing of Kehar Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Raghuvender Singh, Narender Pal Singh and Kuldeep Singh in the Raj Nagar area of Delhi cantonment by a mob. The five victims belonged to one family.

Kumar, who has also quit as a Congress member, has moved the Supreme Court challenging his conviction and sentencing.

The 1984 riots took place in the wake of the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards.

"Kumar's conviction and now surrender will give a new hope to the victims' family and boost their fight to put Congress leaders Jagdish Tytler and Kamal Nath behind the bars," Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa said, reacting to the development.