Sajjan Kumar challenges witnesses' version to claim innocence

Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, who has been chargesheeted along with others in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases, today tried to point out contradictions in the statement of witnesses before a Delhi court to deny his role in the carnage.

"Eye-witness Jagdish Kaur claims that she saw Kumar at 10 am on November two, 1984, while the incident in which three persons were killed was alleged to have taken place around 8 am," Anil Kumar Sharma, counsel for Kumar, submitted before additional sessions judge Sunita Gupta.

Arguing on framing of charges in the matter, Sharma alleged there were contradictions in the statements of Kaur, who lost her husband and brothers in the riots, and her cousin Jagsher Singh, with regard to the presence of Kumar.

"When the accused was not present at the time of the incident, where is the reason to believe that he made any speech to provoke the mob to attack the victims?" the counsel contended, reading out the statement of witnesses.

The court is hearing arguments on charges that may be framed against the accused in the killing of five persons in Delhi Cantonment area during the riots that followed the assassination of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984.

During the two-hour arguments, the counsel also read out a statement of another witness Nirpreet Kaur to claim that she also did not see Kumar during the incident.

The advancing of arguments on behalf of the accused remained inconclusive and is likely to continue on Monday. 

CBI had filed two chargesheets against Kumar and others on January 13 in the riots cases registered on the recommendation of Justice G T Nanavati Commission which inquired into the sequence of events leading to the riots.