New Delhi: An US-based 1984 anti-Sikh riots
victim on Wednesday approached a Delhi court claiming he had seen
Congress leader Jagdish Tytler "instigating" the mob to kill
the Sikhs during the carnage.
Resham Singh, who migrated to the US a few years after
the 1984 riots and currently resides in California, filed an
affidavit before Additional Sessions Judge K S Pal and said
that on November 1, 1984, he had seen Tytler leading a mob
near Gurudwara Pulbangsh here.
"I am giving this sworn statement to reaffirm and
reiterate my willingness to testify in the matter of Jagdish
Tytler and how I saw him instigating attack on Sikhs on
November 1, 1984," Resham Singh said.
He said that in December 2008, when the CBI team had gone
to the US to record the statement of the witness in the case
against Tytler, he had tried his best but the agency "failed"
to record his statement.
Singh said the CBI team had not recorded his statement
in the US despite the fact that he, through his attorney, had
contacted the agency to record his statement.
"Despite my best efforts and my willingness to have my
statement recorded, the CBI team visiting the USA with the
sole purpose of recording the witness statement in the case
against Tytler failed to record my statement.
"Through this statement, I again express my willingness
to give an in-person statement to CBI, any investigative
authority or court of law regarding what I had seen in
November, 1984, outside Gurudwara Pulbangash," he said.
CBI, however, opposed Singh`s affidavit and the court
listed the matter for arguments on February 16.
In his affidavit, Singh has given details on what he had
seen on November 1, 1984 when he was near Gurudwara Pulbangash
while trying to reach his home.
The court was hearing a plea by the 1984 anti-Sikh riot
victims against a magisterial court decision to accept the CBI
report to close a riot case against Tytler.
The victims, in their plea, had also sought further probe
by CBI into the case, claiming there was fresh evidence
against Tytler.
On April 27, 2009, a magistrate had accepted the CBI
closure report in the case against Tytler, saying there was no
evidence to put him on trial.
Lakhwinder Kaur, whose husband was killed in the riots,
had approached the sessions court challenging the order of the
magistrate.
CBI had given a clean chit to Tytler on April 2, 2009,
claiming lack of evidence against him in the case pertaining
to the murder of three persons on November 1, 1984, in the
wake of the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira
Gandhi.
Tytler`s alleged role in the case relating to the
killing of three persons in the riots, including that of one
Badal Singh near Gurudwara Pulbangash in North Delhi, was
re-investigated by CBI after a court had in December, 2007,
refused to accept its closure report.
The court had allowed CBI`s arguments that Tytler was
present at Indira Gandhi`s residence at Teen Murti Bhavan and
was not at the scene of crime, saying its contentions were
justified by material, including some visual tapes and
versions of some independent witnesses.
PTI
