Sajjan finds fault in witness’ version

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

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

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"Eyewitness Jagdish Kaur claims she saw Kumar at 10 a.m. on November 2, 1984, while the incident in which three persons were killed was alleged to have taken place around 8 a.m.," Anil Kumar Sharma, counsel for Kumar, submitted before Additional Sessions Judge Sunita Gupta.

On framing of charges in the matter, the counsel said there were contradictions in Kaur's statements with regard to the presence of the Congress leader. Kaur lost her husband, brothers and a cousin in the riots.

"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.

The CBI had filed two chargesheets against Kumar and others on January 13 in the riots cases.