Kumar allegedly instigated and led a mob in Delhi against Sikhs following the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh security guards on October 31,1984, at her 1 Safdarjung Road residence in New Delhi.
Earlier, Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Tejendra Khanna gave the go ahead to the CBI to prosecute the Congress leader. After the charge sheet was filed, the court transferred all the cases to Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Lokesh Kumar at , Karkardooma courts. Hearing of all cases under trial related to the anti-Sikh riots are being held in the Karkadooma courts.
One of the two charge sheets against Kumar details instigation of the mob in Sultanpuri in North-West Delhi and the other one in the Delhi cantonment area in South Delhi. The hearing of the charge sheet will take place on Monday. The former MP from South-West Delhi has been charged with murder under Section 302, criminal conspiracy under section 120-B and also under Section 153-A of IPC for spreading enmity between communities.
The CBI investigation disclosed that a mob, including the accused, attacked and set on fire the Raj Nagar Gurudwara, burnt vehicles and houses of the Sikh community, besides catching hold of Nirmal Singh and burning him alive.
The Congress leader allegedly instigated the mob that was armed with iron rods, kerosene oil, “danda” and swords, according to the CBI.
The case against Kumar was registered after the G T Nanavati Commission’s report of February 2005, which had recommended fresh examination of complaints in which the Congress leader had been named and no charge sheet filed.
The Sikh riots case also brought another Congress leader and former Union minister Jagdish Tytler under a cloud. Tytler resigned from the council of ministers last year, in the first UPA government following CBI making no case against him. Close to 2009 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress party denied Sajjan Kumar and Tytler Lok Sabha ticket keeping in view the Sikh sentiments.
The CBI has filed a closure report against Tytler for want of evidence. The witnesses, questioned by the CBI in the US, were cited by the agency as unreliable. None of the bigwig political leaders allegedly involved in the Sikh riots had been convicted in the riot cases even after 25 years.
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