New Delhi: A 70-year-old woman yesterday denied in a Delhi court that she was tutored and deposed falsely against Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, facing trial in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, at the instance of CBI or his political opponents.
Deposing as a prosecution witness in the case, Prem Kaur told District Judge Rakesh Siddhartha it was wrong to say that she remained silent for a long time as she had no knowledge about the facts of this matter or the alleged riot incident.
"It is incorrect to suggest that I am making a false and tutored statement before this court at the instance of CBI, Nirpreet Kaur and other political opponent of Sajjan Kumar and others.
"It is incorrect to suggest that I have made a false and wrong statement while naming Sajjan Kumar and others in the court. It is incorrect to suggest that since I knew nothing about the incident I did not give any affidavit or statement before any commission or committee," Prem Kaur said while being cross-examined by advocate I U Khan appearing for Kumar.
She said it was also incorrect to suggest that nobody talked to her about the incident in the manner as told to the court by her yesterday.
She had yesterday told the court "children were saying that Sajjan Kumar, Jai Kishan, Ratan and Gupta Telwala were in the mob. Some other persons....And many others were saying the same thing in a camp.
"When we came out of our hiding, we were informed by people that our house was looted and burnt by the aforesaid persons named...," she had alleged.
Kaur's cross examination concluded and the court fixed March 19 for recording statement of another witness.
During the day's hearing, she said it was "incorrect that a new and false story has been cooked up as tutored to me."
She had yesterday alleged that Kumar and certain others were part of a mob which had attacked, looted and burnt houses of Sikhs during the riots in 1984.
Sajjan Kumar, Brahmanand Gupta, Peeriya and Ved Prakash are facing trial on charges of murder and rioting in the case of killing of Surjit Singh in Sultanpuri area of West Delhi.
The court had in July 2010 framed various charges, including of murder and rioting, against Kumar, Gupta, Peeriya, Khushal Singh and Ved Prakash in connection with killing of the man in Sultanpuri in the riots which had occurred in the aftermath of the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984. Accused Khushal Singh has since died.
The trial court had also framed charges for the offence of spreading enmity between two communities against the accused in the case.
