84 riots case: Witness denies deposing at CBI’s instance

NEW DELHI, Sept 2: A prosecution witness in the 1984 riots case against former Outer Delhi MP Sajjan Kumar and 11 others denied all alleg...

NEW DELHI, Sept 2: A prosecution witness in the 1984 riots case against former Outer Delhi MP Sajjan Kumar and 11 others denied all allegations of not being present at the time of the riots and deposing at the instance of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in his cross-examination today.

Phota Singh today told Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Sharda Aggarwal that he had gone to drop his wife Bindi Kaur at the Rampur Eye Camp “four-five days prior to the riots. It is incorrect to suggest that on October 31, 1984, I had gone to the eye camp or that I returned on November 6, 1984, or that I was not present at the time of this incident”.

Sultanpuri resident Nevin Singh was allegedly murdered by the accused on November 1, 1984. The case was first highlighted after his widow Anwar Kaur filed an affidavit with the Poti-Rosha committee, set up to inquire into the riots. The CBI registered the case on September 7, 1990. However, the chargesheet was only filed in December 1994.

Story continues below this ad

On September 13, 1996, asessions court framed charges of murder, dacoity and rioting against the accused. The court order states: “You all were members of an unlawful assembly, the common objective of which was to kill the male members of the Sikh community and to loot, damage and burn their properties… you all committed the offence of Nevin Singh’s murder.”

The accused immediately moved the High Court, which rejected their plea. In January this year the accused were issued summons to stand trial.

The formal trial of the 11 accused — Sajjan Kumar, Nathu Ram, Brahmanand Gupta, Jai Bhagwan Gupta, Shish Ram, Pyare Ram, Uddal Singh, Chanda Ram, Hanuman Prasad, Satbir Singh, Jaikishan and Mahender Singh Yadav — began on March 23 in the court of Additional Sessions Judge M A Khan.

In reply to defence counsel O P Soni’s questions today, Phota Singh said: “My son Dalgir Singh also died in the riots. Other persons more than 50 had also died in this incident.” He also clarified that while “no special police recorded mystatement… I had given a statement before the court”.

‘Grave insult to wounded people’: Cong lashes out at PM Modi amid his first Manipur visit

India6 hr ago

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Manipur for the first time since ethnic violence hit the state in May 2023, the Congress on Saturday called it a “farce, tokenism, and a grave insult to a wounded people”.

View all shorts

Live Blog