1984 Riots: Jasbir's father alleges family threatened

{image-1984 riots_02012008.jpg news.oneindia.in}New Delhi, Jan 2: The father of Jasbir Singh, said to be a witness to former Union Minister Jagdish Tytler's involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, today said his family members had been threatened since his reappearance.

''Four unidentified men came near our house in Tilak Vihar and were asking about my grandsons. They ran off when a crowd gathered,'' Sattu Singh told mediapersons at a press conference here. Asked if Jasbir would come to testify against Mr Tytler, he said the CBI had resources enough to go and record his testimony in the US.

''We are afraid of harm coming to him if he comes here. we want the government and the agency to guarantee his safety,'' he said. Jasbir, who had submitted an affidavit claiming Mr Tytler's involvement in the riots following the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, had been reported as untraceable by the CBI. However, a news channel had located him in the US last November and talked to him.

Meanwhile, All India Sikh Conference (Babbar) president Gurcharan Singh Babbar said he had written to the CBI Director in the last week of December that he had important information about Jasbir's affidavit and it should be taken on record.

''Jasbir used to work for me, and had told me the entire details of his experiences in the riots. I had got his affidavit prepared, got it notarised and submitted it to the Commission of Inquiry in 1987,'' he said, asserting he was fully acquainted with the details, and could guide the investigation better then Jasbir, who was not much educated,'' he added.

Alleging a conspiracy by certain quarters in the government to protect Mr Tytler and Outer Delhi MP Sajjan Kumar -- who is also said to be involved -- Mr Babbar said recent events had borne this out.

''Last year, a team from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence had come to my house to question me, and simultaneously raided the five offices, including the printing press, of my newspaper 'Qaumi Patrika' and took away all my documents and records of the 1984 riots, the witnesses' statements...everything,'' he said, alleging that despite writing all the senior constitutional, legal amd media officials, the papers had not been returned.

Mr Babbar said if he failed to get a response from the CBI, he would go to the Special CBI Court at Karkardooma on January 16 and seek permission to submit a statement. ''If this is not allowed, then I will file a writ in the High Court under Articles 226 and 32 of the Constitution,'' he added.

UNI