1984 anti-Sikh riots witnesses unreliable: CBI to court

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) submitted before a city court that the witnesses, who deposed against the alleged role of Congress leader Jagdish Tytler in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, were not reliable.

Additional CBI public prosecutor submitted before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Rakesh Pandit that the two witnesses, Surinder and Jasbir Singh, are unreliable as they have contradicted their statements on various occasions.

CBI counsel also said the statements of these two witnesses hold no credentials and were given only to falsely implicate Tytler.

Citing the case of Surinder, who deposed against Tytler and died recently, CBI counsel said: "Surinder, in his first affidavit before the Nanavati Commission in January 2002, had stated that Tytler along with others had attacked Gurdwara Pul Bangash and killed Thakur Singh and Badal Singh. But in another affidavit in August 2002 he denied Tytler's role."

The court, after hearing CBI counsel, slated the next hearing Oct 31, when the probe agency will argue on the version given by Jasbir Singh. Jasbir too claimed to be witness to the Nov 1, 1984, incident when a mob had set on fire the Gurdwara Pul Bangash in north Delhi, killing three people.

CBI also placed before the court audio visual evidence showing that Tytler was near the body of late prime minister Indira Gandhi at the time of the incident.

CBI, which had on April 2 sought to close the case against Tytler claiming there wasn't sufficient evidence against him, had questioned the jurisdiction of a magisterial court and sought the matter to be transferred to a sessions court.

The court, however, was not convinced with the CBI's arguments and decided to hear the closure report.

Over 3,000 Sikhs were believed to have been killed in riots in various cities following the assassination of Indira Gandhi on Oct 31, 1984.