New Delhi: A witness in the 1984 anti-Sikh
riots on Monday alleged before a court, trying senior Congress
leader Sajjan Kumar and others, that the Delhi police
virtually helped the rioters during the carnage.
"I was watching from the window that police vans came and
on seeing them Sikhs rushed out of hoping they would help.
Thereafter, the police vans went away and then after sometime,
mobs came and burnt those very houses from where Sikhs came
out out," Joginder Singh told Additional Sessions Judge Sunita
Gupta.
Deposing as seventh witness, Singh identified Kumar's
co-accused ex-MLA Mahender Yadav, ex-councillor and Kumar's
nephews Balwan Khokar and Kishan Khokar and Captain Bhagmal as
those involved in the riots that had followed the
assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on
October 31, 1984.
The 53-year-old witness, whose father-in-law was also
killed in the riots, said the mob was led by Khokar brothers
and Yadav.
He also narrated how the houses were burnt by mobs and how
Sikhs and wing Commander Punnu, who once chased away the
accused, were killed during the riots.
Singh's deposition was completed today. He is likely to be
cross examined by the defence counsel on November 19, the next
date of hearing.
Kumar, the former outer Delhi MP, along with others are
facing trial for the killing of five persons at Delhi
Cantonment during the case.
CBI had filed two 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
First Published: Monday, November 15, 2010, 21:17