NEW DELHI—An US-based 1984 anti-Sikh [genocide] victim today 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 Gurdwara 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 Gurdwara 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 Gurdwara Pulbangash while trying to reach his home.
The court was hearing a plea by the 1984 anti-Sikh Genocide 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 Gurdwara 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.
