New Delhi: A Delhi court was on Wednesday, told by a
witness, who lost his 3 brothers during 1984 anti-Sikh
riots, that a Hindu man was arrested by the police for giving
shelters to Sikhs.
During the on-going trial against senior Congress
leader Sajjan Kumar, the witness said "I met Major Yadav and
told him that the person who had saved us has been arrested.
He sent an Army officer to Sadar Bazar police station where we
met 1officer and I informed him that Ramavtar Sharma saved
us and he had been arrested..."
Jagsher Singh, who deposed before Additional Sessions
Judge Sunita Gupta, however, denied a suggestion by a defence
counsel that the fact of arrest of Sharma was for the first
time disclosed by him in court.
It was at the house of Sharma that the victims` family had
taken shelter during the carnage.
"I had stated this fact before CBI but it was not recorded
by them. It is incorrect to suggest that I never stated this
fact before CBI or that now at the instance of CBI officials,
I am deposing this fact before court," he said.
He was being cross-examined for the sixth day in the case
relating to the riots that followed the assassination of then
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984.
His cross examination remained inconclusive and is likely
to resume on November 10.
In his testimony on October 19, Singh had identified in
the court Sajjan Kumar as one who had allegedly provoked the
mob to kill his brothers during the carnage.
43-year-old Singh is a cousin of complainant Jagdish Kaur
whose husband Kehar Singh and a son were also killed during
the riots.
Kaur had on July 3 identified Kumar and his nephew Khokkar
and other accused Girdhari Lal and Captain Bhagmal as
accomplices who had allegedly instigated mobs during the 1984
carnage.
CBI had filed 2 chargesheets against Kumar and others on
January 13 in the riots cases registered in 2005 on the
recommendation of the G T Nanavati Commission.
PTI
