Special Judge Rakesh Siyal ordered Tytler to stand trial after he pleaded not guilty. On August 30, the judge ruled that there was enough evidence to proceed with the case.
NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has charged Congress leader Jagdish Tytler with murder and other offenses related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
Special Judge Rakesh Siyal has ordered Tytler to stand trial after he pleaded not guilty. On August 30, the judge ruled that there was enough evidence to proceed with the case.
According to a witness’s statement in the charge sheet, Tytler allegedly emerged from a white Ambassador car outside Gurudwara Pul Bangash on November 1, 1984, and incited the mob by saying, “Kill the Sikhs, they have killed our mother,” which led to the deaths of three individuals.
The court has framed charges against Tytler for offenses including unlawful assembly, rioting, promoting enmity between groups, house trespass, and theft.
Tytler, who was a Member of Parliament at the time, has been formally accused in this new chargesheet. The CBI’s statement highlights that the agency had registered the case in November 2005.
The incident in question involves the attack on Gurudwara Pul Bangash in Azad Market, Bara Hindu Rao, Delhi. On November 1, 1984, a mob set the gurudwara ablaze, resulting in the tragic deaths of three Sikhs: Sardar Thakur Singh, Badal Singh, and Gurcharan Singh.
In the wake of the riots, the Government of India established the Justice Nanavati Commission of Inquiry in 2000 to investigate the events of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi. The commission’s report prompted the Ministry of Home Affairs to direct the CBI to investigate the case against Tytler and other individuals involved.
In May of last year, the CBI submitted a comprehensive chargesheet accusing Tytler, who once served as a Union Minister, of “inciting, instigating, and provoking the mob” that had gathered near the gurdwara in November 1984. The agency’s investigation highlighted Tytler’s active role in encouraging the violence that ultimately led to the deaths of three innocent Sikhs.
During the concluding arguments presented in January this year, the federal agency underscored the presence of credible eyewitnesses who provided testimony about Tytler’s involvement.
The CBI argued-
“Tytler incited the mob to attack Sikhs, leading to the burning of the Gurudwara Pul Bangash and the deaths of three Sikh individuals.”
The court was told that there is sufficient evidence to move forward with the charges.
The 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots
The 1984 anti-Sikh riots remain one of the darkest chapters in India’s history. The violence erupted after the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984. What followed was a horrifying outbreak of violence against Sikhs, resulting in the deaths of thousands across the country, with Delhi being one of the most affected areas.
In connection with the riots, the CBI’s chargesheet against Tytler paints a grim picture of the events that took place outside the Pul Bangash Gurdwara. The document claims that Tytler assured the rioters that no legal action would be taken against them and even compared the number of killings in his constituency with other areas, urging his followers to attack more Sikhs.
One of the most incriminating statements in the chargesheet is from an eyewitness who recounted-
“He (Tytler) got out of the car, incited the mob to kill Sikhs, and then urged them to loot their shops.”
This testimony suggests that Tytler’s involvement was not just incidental but that he played a direct role in orchestrating the violence.
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