The Rouse Avenue court on Friday ordered Congress leader Jagdish Tytler to stand trial in connection with the 1984 Pul Bangash Sikh killings case. The court’s decision comes nearly four decades after the incident, which occurred in the wake of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination.
Special Judge Rakesh Syal formally framed charges against Tytler, who appeared in court and denied the allegations. The case revolves around the deaths of three Sikhs near Gurudwara Pul Bangash on November 1, 1984. The court has scheduled the recording of prosecution evidence to begin on October 3, with Lakhvinder Kaur, widow of victim Badal Singh, set to testify as the first witness.
The charges against Tytler include multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, such as unlawful assembly, rioting, promoting enmity between groups, and abetment to murder. Special CBI Judge Rakesh Syal said, “There appears to be sufficient grounds to presume that the accused has committed offences punishable under Sections 143, 147, 188 and 153 A IPC, Sections 295, 436, 451, 380 read with Section 149 IPC, and Section 302 r/w Section 109 IPC.”
On July 26, 2023, the court issued a summons to Congress leader Jagdish Tytler after taking cognisance of the supplementary charge sheet filed by the CBI against him. A supplementary charge sheet has been filed by the CBI in the case of killings in the Pul Bangash area in 1984.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Vidhi Gupta Anand had issued a summons to Jagdish Tytler. “I have gone through the supplementary charge sheet, case record, statement of eyewitnesses, and other witnesses. There is sufficient material to proceed further,” ACMM Vidhi Gupta Anand said.
This case has seen renewed attention following a supplementary charge sheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in May 2023. The CBI’s investigation, initiated in 2005, came after the Justice Nanavati Commission of Inquiry examined the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
The prosecution alleges that Tytler incited a mob that attacked Gurudwara Pul Bangash, resulting in the deaths of Thakur Singh, Badal Singh, and Gurcharan Singh. The incident also involved the burning of the gurudwara and looting of nearby shops.
Tytler, who was granted bail in August 2023, faces serious accusations of instigating violence during one of the darkest periods in India’s recent history.
(Inputs from ANI)