CBI gives clean chit to '84 riots accused

In a huge relief to the Congress leader and former Union minister Jagdish Tytler, CBI on Thursday gave him a clean chit ahead of the elections in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. Tytler is a Congress nominee from Delhi’s northeast seat for the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.

The CBI also recommended to Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Rakesh Pandit for quashing of FIR against the Congress leader. Counsel Sanjay Kumar told the Magistrate: “we have filed the cancellation report in the matter and want to close the investigation.”

The case against Tytler belongs to November 1, 1984 when a mob allegedly led by Tytler torched Gurudwara Pulbangash, engineered riots against Sikhs and killed three persons. The violence against the Sikhs had continued for three days across the Delhi. The anti-Sikh riots were triggered by the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984 by two of her Sikh bodyguards.

Earlier too, CBI had closed cases against Tytler in November 2007, and submitted a report to the Delhi court stating that they did not find any evidences or witnesses that could substantiate the allegations against Tytler of leading mobs during 1984.

However, a month later, on December 18, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sanjeev Jain ordered for reopening of cases against Tytler, after a California based Jasbir Singh stated he was an eyewitness and never contacted by the CBI.

In December 2008, a two-member CBI team went to New York to record the testimonies of two eyewitnesses Jasbir Singh and Surinder Singh.

According to report that CBI filed in February, the CBI investigated as per the statements of Jasbir and Surinder but found no credible truth. Jasbir said he was living with Soocha Singh when he heard Tytler inciting the mobs on Nov 3, but CBI could not trace any evidences that could substantiate Soocha Singh or anyone alike.

CBI report stated that Surinder told he along with three Gurudwara employees was holed up in Gurudwara Pul Bangash when he heard Tytler, shouting maaro or kill. But he failed to give an account of the three employees who were accompanied with Tytler. Further, CBI said, Surinder had himself withdrawn his statement to Nanavati commission who was probing the riot cases.

The CBI on Thursday said it had found no credible evidence against Tytler in the 1984 riots case that could establish his involvement, and the statements of two of the witnesses were “inconsistent, unreliable and unworthy of credit”.

The BJP has criticised the Congress over the issue. Party spokesperson Balbir Punj said the clean chit was given on the directions of the Centre. Otherwise how could the media know about it before hand? It has exposed the hypocrisy of Congress.

Congress, however, has denied any hand in the clean chit. Party spokesperson Veerappa Moily said, “There is no political motive behind the clean chit.”