NEW DELHI: A Sikh youth allegedly tried to attack and hurled abuses at senior Congress leader and 1984 anti-Sikh riots case accused Jagdish Tytler at a marriage function in South Delhi’s Chattarpur area late Saturday night. Tytler escaped unhurt and the accused, 23-year-old Sehaj Umang Bhatia, was arrested.
Bhatia allegedly threw a piece of glass at Tytler and abused him during the wedding reception at a farm house in Mehrauli.
“Tytler was here to attend a wedding when Sehaj Umang Singh Bhatia threw a piece of glass at him and hurled abuses. Tytler was, however, not hit and was escorted to his vehicle safely,” DCP (South) Prem Nath said.
The attack comes a day after a Delhi court refused to accept the CBI’s closure report and directed it to conduct further investigation into the case against Tytler. The Congress leader was accused of engineering riots against the Sikh community in the aftermath of Indira Gandhi’s assassination on 31 October 1984.
Sehaj told reporters, “It was ridiculous that someone who had killed 3,000 people was having fun. I called this man (Tytler) ‘hatyaara’ (killer) and rioter. It’s ridiculous that in a country like ours somebody who has killed 3,000 people roams around freely having fun. And, if I speak my heart out in public, I have to be reprimanded and taken to the police.” Sehaj was taken into custody, but was later given bail.
Former Aam Aadmi Party leader and senior advocate HS Phoolka demanded an enquiry into the attack on Tytler and said, “There should be enquiry on how the youth reached him. There should be a thorough enquiry on whether this incident was genuine or whether he did this to create sympathy.”