New Delhi: CBI today alleged before a Delhi
court that senior Congress leader Sajjan Kumar was involved in
the murder of people during 1984 anti-Sikh riots by giving
provocative speeches, a charge vehemently denied by him.
"Sajjan Kumar addressed a meeting after which the crowd
identified the houses of Sikh community, looted it and killed
the people, thereby creating mayhem all over the locality,"
CBI counsel D P Singh submitted before Additional Sessions
Judge Sunita Gupta.
Initiating arguments for framing of charges in a case
relating to the death of six persons, the counsel charged the
former outer Delhi MP with leading a group of rioting mob
riding on a motorcycle in the riots that followed the
assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on
October 31, 1984.
The CBI counsel, who referred to a place in a site plan
from where leader allegedly addressed the crowd during the
riots, was strongly opposed by Kumar`s counsel I U Khan and A
K Sharma.
The defence counsel accused the CBI lawyer of misleading
the court by alleging that the probe agency did not have the
statement of any witness who saw Kumar addressing the mob
from the particular place at Sultanpuri here.
"Do you have statement of any witness to support your
contention? You cannot say anything before the court at your
convenience," they submitted before the court which intervened
to pacify the tempers from both sides.
During the brief arguments for 30 minutes, the CBI
counsel read out a statement of prosecution witness and
complainant Joginder Singh whose brother Surjeet Singh was
killed allegedly by the rioting mob after dragging him from
their house on the fateful day in the riots.
"We want to prosecute Kumar for the murder of Surjeet.
The trial relating to murder of Surjeet had never taken place.
The accused conspired to murder him," he submitted.
This argument of CBI counsel was opposed by defence
counsel who alleged Singh was again misleading the court.
The matter was adjourned for tomorrow after the CBI
counsel sought time to file a list of witnesses` and their
statements which would be referred to by him during the
arguments.
Meanwhile, the court fixed for May 24 the formal framing
of charges against Kumar and others in the case involving
death of five persons in Delhi Cantonment during the riots.
Kumar`s counsel did not file any objection to CBI`s plea
made yesterday before the court seeking rectification of
charges with regard to a section of the IPC.
-PTI
