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‘Not an iota of evidence’: former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar claims innocence in 2 cases linked to 1984 riots

The cases pertain to the deaths of Sohan Singh and Avtar Singh who were killed in Janakpuri, and Gurcharan Singh, who was set ablaze in Vikaspuri, amid the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

Sajjan Kumar is currently lodged in Tihar jail after the Delhi High Court sentenced him to life imprisonment in 2018. (File Photo)

Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar told a Delhi court on Monday that he was innocent and was being implicated falsely in two cases in which two men were allegedly killed and another person was set ablaze during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

“I was not present at the spot… The investigating agency did not conduct a fair Investigation. The aim was to implicate by introducing fresh and unsubstantiated allegations,” his counsel told Special Judge Dig Vinay Singh of the Rouse Avenue court. “Initially, I wasn’t even named by any of the witnesses. Decades later, I was named. The case against me is false and politically motivated.”

The First Information Reports (FIRs) in this connection were filed in February 2015 by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) based on complaints of violence in Janakpuri and Vikaspuri. In Janakpuri, Sohan Singh and his son-in-law Avtar Singh were killed on November 1, 1984, while in Vikaspuri, Gurcharan Singh was allegedly set ablaze and sustained severe burns, remaining bed ridden for three decades.

Also Read | Sajjan Kumar acquitted in ’84 riots case, will remain in jail

In August 2023, a Delhi court dropped the charges of murder and criminal conspiracy in both cases but charged Kumar with the other offences in the chargesheet, including rioting with deadly weapons, promoting enmity between different groups, and attempting to commit culpable homicide.

“I couldn’t even have dreamt of committing this act. There is not even an iota of evidence against me,” he said, adding that he had organised blood donation camps and peace marches to bring harmony during the riots.

Also Read | ‘Even if Sajjan Kumar is sentenced to death, we can’t get back the life we lost’: 1984 riot victims recount their pain

Arguing through advocates Anil Kumar Sharma, Anuj Sharma and Apoorav Kumar Sharma, Kumar stated before the court: “My lie detector test was conducted. I voluntarily participated to prove my innocence.”

Sajjan Kumar is currently lodged in Tihar jail after the Delhi High Court sentenced him to life imprisonment in 2018 in a case related to the killing of five Sikhs at Raj Nagar Part I in Palam Colony on November 1-2, 1984, and the burning down of a gurdwara in Raj Nagar Part II. On August 30 last year, a Delhi court ordered framing of charges against Kumar in a case related to the killing of three Sikhs during the riots near Pul Bangash Gurdwara.

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