India | Posted on Dec 25, 2008 at 01:24pm IST

CBI records statement of '84 riots witness

New York: A key witness in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots deposed before a two-member CBI team, which recorded his statement here, before proceeding to San Francisco to take the testimony of another witness.

The CBI team recorded the statement of New York-based Jasbinder Singh, who claims to be a witness to the riots in the Indian Capital that broke out in the wake of assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, an official said on condition of anonymity.

However, details of the interaction were not available.

After recording the statement of Jasbinder, the team left for San Francisco to meet California-based Jasbeer Singh, another witness, who has alleged that former Union minister Jagdish Tytler played a key role in instigating the rioters.

The investigators are expected to record Jasbir's statement either today or tomorrow, after which the team will leave for India, the official said.

The CBI team was sent to the US after Jasbeer Singh repeatedly refused to appear before the Indian courts citing threat to his life and family.

Singh has alleged that former Union Minister Jagdish Tytler played a key role in instigating anti-Sikh rioters.

He has filed several affidavits against Tytler, an influential Congress leader of Delhi, before various Commissions, saying he was willing to testify before the court provided his and his family's safety was guaranteed.

CBI's move to visit the US marks a U-turn from its earlier position demanding the presence of Singh and other witnesses in India.

The agency, which had on Sept 29, 2007 filed an affidavit in a court seeking closure of case against Tytler on the plea that Singh was untraceable, was directed by court to submit the address of Singh, declared as a crucial witness.

(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter and Google+)

Comments (1)

All comments will be published after moderation

Trending Searches

#Narendra Modi#Priyanka Chopra#Ashok Leyland#Shahrukh Khan#Charles Darwin#BCCI#Motherson Sumi#Whitney Houston#Salman Khurshid#Tiger Woods#Narendra Modi#Salman Khurshid#Raebareli#RK Sharma#Saudi Arabia#Chief Justice of