CBI to reinvestigate Anti-Sikh riots case

The Delhi court directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to reinvestigate the 1984 Sikh riot case and also to record the key witness Jasbir Singh’s statement and submit it by Jan 16, 2008 in a hearing here on Tuesday.

With this directive, the case against Congress leader and former Union minister Jagdish Tytler will be reinvestigated by the agency. A month earlier CBI had given a clean chit to Tytler.

CBI had cited in its November report that there was no evidence or witness to term Tytler guilty; hence the case against him was closed.

However, the key witness of the riot Jasbir Singh in a startling claim said in a TV interview, “I saw Tytler inciting mobs during the anti-Sikh riots - he said he had promised the biggest riot in his area. I have said this in my affidavit, but CBI claims ignorance. They knew I was in USA, I don't know why the CBI did not contact me."

Jasbir, who was a victim of the riot by losing almost all his family members fled to USA to save his life and still residing there. Jasbir was one of the prime witnesses whose statement directly pointed out Tytler’s involvement in Sikh massacre but CBI very promptly said that he is not traceable, resulting in CBI giving clean chit to Jagdish Tytler.

In fact it is after a press release and an affidavit released by the counsel of Jasbir Singh that Mr Singh is available to testify against Congress leader Jagdish Tytler. It is surely a big negligence on the part of the investigating agency that came into light. Now the court not only rejected CBI’s earlier report but also set the deadline to submit the investigation report.

1984 Sikh Massacre: A horrible saga

In October 31, 1984 following the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her own Sikh bodyguards, acting on the retaliation of the Operation Bluestar, the capital city Delhi ablaze with hate and anger turning to the massacre of a large number of Sikh followers.

As soon as it was declared that two persons shot Mrs Gandhi were Sikhs people in Delhi and surrounding states turned violent and then started a horrible tale of killing, raping, looting and attacked Sikhs. This continues for several days, as the administration did not take any active measures to save the Sikh community irrespective of many children, women and old age people were brutally murdered in the capital of India.

In 23 years of long investigation there were 10 fact-finding commissions placed by different governments and the last one - Justice Nanavati Commission was set off in 2004 by the BJP-NDA government, which questioned the role of Delhi police and also the active involvement of Congress leaders who incited the mob to do such crime against humanity.

The commission had claimed the involvement of leaders like Jagdish Tytler, Sajjan Kumar and H K L Bhagat for instigating the mobs and for increasing violence across the city.

However, the present revelation and the court’s order of reinvestigation of the case not only put question on the credibility of our investigating agency but also on the entire process involved with the changing governments in taking action against those in administration, who remained silent spectators while Sikhs were looted and murdered in the streets of Delhi.