NEW DELHI: Twelve years after about 5,000 persons were killed in the two days of violence that followed the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the heat is turning on former Union Minister Jagdish Tytler. Having lost Lok Sabha election by a wafer thin margin, the Congress leader is now facing allegations of masterminding the 1984 riots. If the allegations are found to be true, it could well mean curtains for Mr. Tytler’s political career. Former Chief Minister Madan Lal Khurana, addressing a Press conference here last week, demanded the s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) should investigate into the cases against Mr. Tytler and alleged that the Delhi Police had made a special effort to save him two victims, Rajwant Kaur and Balwinder Kaur, had named Mr. Tytler in their affidavits before the Ranganath Misra Commission. He also alleged that a case was registered and initiated against Mr. Tytler at the Subzi Mandi police station on November 2 but was later closed on December 31, 1984. They said incidents occurred at the Kabir Basti area under the Subzi Mandi police station around noon on November 1. 1984 when a group of about 2,000 attacked the basti, inhabited mostly by Sikhs. Though they have alleged that area SHO Jai Bhagwan Malik and ACP Raghubir Singh Malik instigated the mob, Mr. Tytler was not present on the site and though some persons were raising slogans hailing him.
There have been some legal problems in the allegations made by the two women and doubts could be raised about the authenticity of the initial complaints as both did not know how to read and write. Both have suggested that they were asked to give their thumb impressions on documents by a local advocate Bajrang Singh and the contents of the documents were not read out to them. Their statements have been taken on three occasions, first by the Rangunath Misra Commission in 198485, followed by the statement to the police under section 161 of the Cr PC and then before a Magistrate, under sec, 164 of the Cr PC. Sources urged that Mr. Tytler has not been implicated directly, even in a single case, Meanwhile, the Congress leader’s supporters allege Mr. Khurana’s interest in the emanates from the fact that the leaders share the same support base. Mr. Khurana has managed to get greater support from the Punjabi voter in the post 1984 scenario and this has also been one of the reasons behind the BJP’s rise. “Mr, Khurana does not have to bother about the authenticity of his allegations and though these allegations might fall flat on their face, they are enough to create a doubt in the minds of the voter,” said a Tytler supporter.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 11, 1996
