1984 anti-Sikh riots: Sajjan Kumar questions authenticity of CBI's case

1984 anti-Sikh riots: Sajjan Kumar questions authenticity of CBI's case

Congress leader Sajjan Kumar,facing trial in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, today questionedthe "authenticity" of CBI version of the incident saying ithad not produced several material witnesses in the court hereafter they refused to tow its line to "frame" him in the case.

Advancing the final arguments, the counsel appearing forKumar argued CBI had not examined a material witness, aretired Army official who had saved several victims duringthe riots.

Kumar's counsel I U Khan told District Judge J R Aryanthat CBI "deliberately" did not trace the official but he wasbrought before the court as a defence witness by the accusedto bring forth the truth.

Khan said CBI had failed to get the address of retiredColonel Dhanraj Singh Yadav despite the fact that he wasgetting all pension benefits from the Army and used to visithis office every month.

"There is grave suspicion about the authenticity of theprosecuting agency as they have failed to produce materialwitnesses which we (defence) have managed to produce in thecourt. Yadav's reference has come in the statements of severalwitnesses but he was not examined by CBI in the court as theagency knew it that he will not lie," he said.

"Several witnesses were examined for hours by CBI in itsoffice and then the investigating officer saw that they wereevasive, so before filing the chargesheet, the agency droppedthese witnesses from the list," he added.

Sajjan Kumar is facing trial along with five others -Balwan Khokkar, Kishan Khokkar, Mahender Yadav, Girdhari Laland Captain Bhagmal - for allegedly inciting a mob against theSikh community in Delhi Cantonment area here.

The case relates to anti-Sikh riots that had broken outafter the assassination of the then Prime Minister IndiraGandhi on October 31, 1984.

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