The Rouse Avenue court on Thursday recorded the emotional testimony of Lakhvinder Kaur, widow of Badal Singh, who was killed by a mob during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots at Gurudwara Pul Bangash.
Badal Singh, a ragi at the Gurudwara, was one of three people killed during the violence on November 1, 1984. Lakhvinder Kaur broke down while delivering her statement.
Special CBI Link Judge Vishal Gogne presided over the hearing, recording Kaur’s evidence. The court has scheduled the next session for October 15, during which Kaur will be cross-examined by Congress leader Jagdish Tytler’s counsel.
In her deposition, Kaur recounted being informed by granthi Surender Singh that her husband was killed by a mob incited by Tytler. She stated, “Surender Singh told me that Tytler was telling the rioters, ‘Sikho ko mar do, ujad do, Gurudwara ko aag laga do’ (Kill the Sikhs, destroy them, and set fire to the Gurudwara).”
Kaur recalled that her marriage to Badal Singh took place in 1981, and that he had dropped her off at her village in Muzaffarnagar two days before the riots. Singh had returned to Delhi, where he was killed. Kaur learned of her husband’s death five days later and traveled to Delhi with her father-in-law. At the time, her elder daughter was just ten months old, and she was pregnant with her second child, who was born after Badal Singh’s death.
In 2008, during court proceedings related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots at Karkardooma Court, Kaur met Surender Singh, who identified her as Badal Singh’s widow. Singh recounted witnessing her husband exiting the Gurudwara, only to be attacked by the mob, who stabbed him to death with a kirpan. Singh also stated that Jagdish Tytler was present at the scene, inciting the mob to commit violence against Sikhs and the Gurudwara.
According to Singh, after killing Badal Singh, the mob placed his body in a cart and burned it with tyres. Following this account, Kaur contacted her lawyer, who filed an application in Karkardooma Court for an investigation into the case. Other victims of the riots corroborated the information Kaur provided, which was included in the application.
Tytler’s counsel opposed Kaur’s statement, arguing that it was based on hearsay and, therefore, not admissible as evidence. However, the Public Prosecutor for the CBI responded that the admissibility of the testimony would be considered after the conclusion of all evidence. Despite the defense’s objection to the recording of the evidence, the court allowed it to proceed.
This testimony comes after the court framed charges against Congress leader Jagdish Tytler on September 13, 2023, in connection with his alleged involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
