CBI trying to examine 'elusive' anti-Sikh riots witness

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday said it will make an all out effort to examine Jasbir Singh, the missing witness in the 1984 riots case registered against congress leader Jagdish Tytler.

'One of the 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases taken over by the CBI on November 22, 2005, for further investigation under the orders of the central government attracted huge media attention. After due investigation, the CBI has filed a charge sheet against Suresh Kumar in the competent court. The case against another accused, Jagdish Tytler, was closed due to lack of evidence,' the CBI in a press statement.

'However, on November 29, 2007, it was mentioned before the court by Advocate H S Phoolka that he would furnish the address of Jasbir Singh by December 1, 2007, but no such address was furnished either to the court or to the CBI,' it said.

Jasbir had, in an interview with a television channel, claimed that Tytler was leading a mob of Sikhs on November 3, 1984 and asking them to kill Sikhs.

'He wanted maximum number of Sikhs to be killed in his constituency,' Singh had said.

The agency said it had made efforts to contact Jasbir Singh, but neither his wife nor mother was willing to give the address of the prime witness against Tytler.
 
Initially, Jasbir had asked the CBI to contact Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, his advocate in United States, for clarification. Now, he has appointed Navkiron Singh of Punjab and Haryana to represent him before the court.

The witness is ready to record his statement through video-conferencing. He lives in California without any legal documents, but cannot be extradited as he has committed no offence and no red corner alert can be issued against him, a top CBI official told rediff.com.

The Congress, meanwhile, is trying to defend Tytler. Some Congressmen are even blaming their fellow partymen.

"This could be the handiwork of someone in our party; otherwise how does one explain that each time the general elections are round the corner this issue is raised," a Congress leader told rediff.com.