Sajjan Kumar instigated mob to kill Sikhs in 1984 riots, witness tells court

A key prosecution witness in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case told a Delhi court Thursday that Sajjan Kumar had instigated the mob to kill Sikhs.

The witness, Joginder Singh, also identified Kumar, who was present before District Judge Poonam A Bamba, as the person who instigated the mob.

"When I went to lodge FIR, the police had denied to name Sajjan Kumar in the FIR. Sajjan Kumar the person who leading the mob and provoking them," the witness said in his statement while being examined by advocate Tarannum Cheema, appearing for the prosecution.

Singh had lost his brother in the riots.

The court has now posted the matter for April 9 for further proceedings in the case.

Earlier, two other key prosecution witnesses -- Cham Kaur and Sheela Kaur -- had identified Kumar as the one who had instigated the mob in Sultanpuri.

The case was transferred from Karkardooma court to Patiala House court here by the Delhi High Court, which directed the district judge to video record the proceedings at the cost of the accused.

Kumar and two other accused, Brahmanand Gupta and Ved Prakash, had said that they were ready to bear the expenses of the videography of proceedings.

The three accused are facing trial on charges of murder and rioting in the case pertaining to killing of Surjit Singh in Sultanpuri.

The proceedings in the case were earlier stayed after Singh approached the high court seeking transfer of the case while alleging that evidence was not being properly recorded.