Polygraph test of 1984 riots witness postponed

Arms dealer Abhishek Verma, a witness in a 1984 riots case against Congress leader Jagdish Tytler, said that the CBI told him on Friday that it has postponed his polygraph test as the lie detection machine has broken down.

"CBI Investigating Officer called me at 2.20 p.m. today (Friday), saying that (someone from) the FSL Rohini (Forensic Science Laboratory) conveyed to him that their polygraph machine is broken (or faulty) and that's why they can't conduct tests from November 27 to 30," Verma told IANS.

Earlier, the Central Bureau of Investigation had set November 27 to 30 to conduct Verma's polygraph test.

The CBI told Verma that new dates for conducting the test would be conveyed whenever the machine is repaired.

A court on November 1 had directed the CBI to conduct the lie detection test by the end of November.

The court has appointed noted advocate B.S. Joon as the commissioner to monitor Verma's polygraph test after Verma moved an application alleging that forensic lab was "unfair and biased".

The CBI is conducting the lie detector tests on Verma in a case against Tytler, accused of leading a mob in Pul Bangash area in 1984 that led to the killing of three Sikhs. The Congress leader has refused to undergo the test.

The agency's move came after Verma's accusation that Tytler influenced witness Surender Singh through money and a promise to send his son Narender Singh to Canada.

The CBI had earlier given a clean chit to Tytler in the case but reopened investigation following a December 4, 2015 court order in the wake of Verma's allegation.

--IANS

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