1984 riots: CBI cites witnesses who had identified Sajjan

New Delhi, Apr 11: The CBI today apprised a Delhi court of the statements of witnesses who had identified Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, facing trial for his alleged role in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, as the person who was instigating a mob during the carnage.

Advancing final arguments before District Judge JR Aryan, CBI prosecutor and senior counsel RS Cheema cited statements made by prosecution witnesses Jagsher Singh and his sibling Balvinder Singh who had lost three brothers during the riots.

He told the court that Jagsher Singh had identified Sajjan Kumar in court as the one who had allegedly provoked the mob to kill his brothers during riots after the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984. Singh, 45, is a cousin of complainant Jagdish Kaur whose husband Kehar Singh and a son were also killed in the riots.

Sajjan Kumar along with five others is facing trial for allegedly instigating a mob to kill Sikhs in Delhi cantonment area in the wake of the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984.

Reading out the statements made in the court, Cheema said Singh had earlier deposed that a Hindu man was arrested by police for providing shelter to Sikhs during the carnage. According to the CBI, Singh had taken shelter in the house of one Ram Avtar Sharma, who was also made a prosecution witness in the case, at Raj Nagar here during the riots.

CBI's arguments remained inconclusive and would continue on April 21, the next date of hearing. Apart from Jagsher Singh, two other witnesses Nirpreet Kaur and Jagdish Kaur, who had also lost their family members during the riots, had identified Sajjan Kumar in the court.

PTI