The Congress has suffered a huge embarrassment, as senior Congress leader Sajjan Kumar who is accused in the 1984 Anti-Sikh pogrom has been identified by a witness. Cham Kaur gave her statement on Friday before Delhi’s Patiala House Court in the 1984 Anti-Sikh riots case.
According to the reports, Cham Kaur and others had filed an application seeking police protection as she was approached by a stranger asking her not to depose against Sajjan Kumar. However, Kaur, who had lost her family members in the 1984 riots, identified Kumar in an open courthouse.
Cham Kaur alleged that she was offered Rs 5 lakh not to depose any statements in the court against Congress leader. Sajjan Kumar’s lawyer dismissed the prosecution witness terming it as ‘concocted and politically motivated’. The court postponed the hearing till December 20.
Sajjan Kumar, along with four others, is facing trial in connection with killings in west Delhi’s Sultanpuri area during the riots that erupted after former PM Indira Gandhi was assassinated. The court has framed several charges, including those of murder and rioting.
A Delhi Court on Wednesday has also convicted two others in relation to the anti-Sikh riots. Naresh Sherawat and Yashpal Singh were found guilty by additional sessions judge Ajay Pandey for killing two people during the anti-Sikh riots.
The 1984 Anti-Sikh riots took place aftermath of the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, which resulted in brutal killings of more than 2800 people according to official figures. Congress leaders Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler were directly accused of large role in orchestrating the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in India.