Jagdish Tytler asked mob to loot, kill Sikhs: Eyewitness in 1984 Pul Bangash Gurudwara case

New Delhi: An eyewitness in North Delhi's Pul Bangash Gurdwara case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots on Friday deposed before a Delhi court, saying she had seen Congress leader Jagdish Tytler instigating the mob and asking them to "loot and kill the Sikhs".

The 70-year-old woman eyewitness also claimed that she kept mum, fearing for her only son's life and revealed Tytler's name for the first time in 2016 to the CBI after her son passed away.

Special Judge Jitendra Singh recorded the statement of Harpal Kaur Bedi, an eyewitness to the killing of three men by a mob that torched the Gurdwara during the riots.

"When I was standing at a footpath in front of Gurudwara Pul Bangash (on November 1, 1984), I saw accused Jagdish Tytler (who) came in a white colour Ambassador car by taking a round from the roundabout and stopped in front of Gurudwara Pul Bangash.

"Accused Jagdish Tytler and three other persons came out of the car. Accused addressed the mob standing there to loot and kill the Sikhs, to loot Gurudwara as they have killed our mother (Sikho ko maro-kuto, unhone hamari maa ko mara hai)," Bedi said.

The CBI had on May 20, 2023, filed a charge sheet against Tytler in the case, stating that he "incited, instigated and provoked the mob assembled at Pul Bangash Gurudwara Azad Market" on November 1, 1984, which resulted in the burning down of the Gurdwara and the killing of three Sikhs — Thakur Singh, Badal Singh and Gurcharan Singh.

Regarding the incident, she said that after it was dark, a mob armed with weapons broke open the door of her neighbour, Tilak Raj.

"After entering the house of Tilak Raj, the mob found out our employee Gurcharan Singh Channi and Sardar Badal Singh (Ragi) and cut them with their arms (weapons). The mob threw both of them from the roof to the ground and thereafter, they put them into cart (rehri) and put tyres on them, threw them inside the Gurudwara, Pul Bangash and burnt (them)," Bedi said.

She said that when the mob was looting her husband's (Amarjeet Singh Bedi's) shop, they said about killing her husband and her brother-in-law Surjeet Singh, as Channi was wearing her husband's clothes.

"My statement was recorded two/three times. During the investigation, I went to the spot of the occurrence along with the CBI team to prepare a rough site plan," Bedi said.

Following her statement, Tytler's counsel started her cross-examination, where in response to the questions, she claimed that she did not name Tytler before March 2016, fearing for her only son's life.

Bedi said, "It is correct that neither I named the involvement of accused Jagdish Tytler nor my husband named him till 2008. It is correct that before 2016, I did not name accused Jagdish Tytler in the present case. I named him for the first time in a statement dated March 1, 2016.

"My son was threatened with life by men of the accused Jagdish Tytler not to state anything against him, and as I had only one son and for the sake of his life, I kept mum. Now, my only son has died in the year 2015, and from that time, I did not have any fear and as such stated all the true facts to the CBI and the court. I did not give any complaint regarding threat to my son till 2015 or thereafter till date."

Bedi said that in her statement of March 2016 to the CBI, she had stated that a white Ambassador was coming from the side of the Gurudwara, and Jagdish Tytler was sitting inside.

"The car was moving slowly, and Jagdish Tytler, while sitting inside the car, made a gesture to the people engaged in violence. While gesturing, he said 'maro maro' and swiftly moved out of the spot. It is wrong to suggest that I have named accused Jagdish Tytler for the first time in 2016 at the instance of the CBI and leaders of the Sikh community," she said.

Bedi denied that CBI officials had suggested that she change the statement, as one could not hear what a person sitting inside a car had said.

"I got confused with the questioning of the CBI. My later version regarding coming out of the accused from the car and inciting the mob is the correct version," Bedi answered when Tytler's counsel posed her the question about "changing her version".

Around 4 pm, the judge deferred the cross-examination to Saturday, noting the witness appeared exhausted after the lengthy proceedings.