By IANS
New Delhi : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Wednesday informed a court here that it has recorded statements of four witnesses in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case involving Congress leader Jagdish Tytler.
The CBI filed its status report in the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sanjeev Jain but declined to name the witnesses in the open court.
Defence counsel, meanwhile, moved an application asking for a copy of the report along with the whereabouts of all four witnesses the investigating agency has examined till now.
Opposing the defence plea, the CBI told the court that revealing the identities of the witnesses at this juncture could pose a danger to their lives as the investigation was in a critical stage.
The court asked the investigating agency to make further probes and submit a status report by May 14, the next date of hearing.
In December last year, Jasbir Singh, who now lives in California, US, told the Indian media that he had seen Tytler inciting a murderous mob during the riots that followed the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi Oct 31, 1984. More than 2,000 Sikhs were killed in the violence in the capital and elsewhere.
He accused the CBI of not doing a thorough probe and not recording his statement.
He filed a petition with the Delhi High Court that he feared for his life and would rather give his statement from the US through video-conferencing.
However, the CBI submitted to the court that Jasbir Singh’s presence in India was necessary as the agency needed to confront him with other investigated material on record.
The court adjourned the hearing till Aug 26, but said its interim order directing the CBI not to file any closure report in the case will continue to be in force.
The CBI recommended Sep 29 that Tytler cannot be prosecuted for his involvement in the anti-Sikh riots and the case against Kishan Sharma, co-accused, be closed as no evidence could be found against him.