Centre not serious on 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, says AAP

NEW DELHI: Accusing the Centre of not being serious in pursuing the 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases, AAP today said if the Narendra Modi government does not take steps to initiate action against former Congress leader Jagdish Tytler in the wake of fresh evidence that has emerged, the party will itself to take the issue to its logical end.

AAP MLA from Rajouri Garden Jarnail Singh said a resolution will be introduced in Delhi Assembly, condemning the riots, to pay homage to the victims and to work to "ensure" justice to those affected.

Singh also furnished a document claiming to be a statement of Abhishek Verma, one of the accused in a Navy war room leak case, before the CBI.

"The statement says that Tytler tried to send money to prime witness, who was in Canada, in the (Pulbangash) case.

"He should be booked under section 193 and 195A of the IPC for influencing and bribing witness. This is also a case of money laundering. Still the CBI says there is no FIR in the case. This also shows that the Narendra Modi government is not serious in pursuing the case," Singh said.

The CBI on June 26 told a Delhi court that no fresh FIR has been lodged against Tytler, who has been a given clean chit in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. Allegations of influencing witness and hawala transaction had surfaced from Verma's statement.

"Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, a Minister in the Modi cabinet and a Shiromani Akali Dal leader, should also quit as the party claims to be the championing the Sikh cause," Singh said.

The party also alleged that the SIT formed by the Centre to look into anti Sikh riot cases that could be re-opened has not been doing any effective work.

AAP's other Sikh MLAs Jarnail Singh (Tilak Nagar), Avtar Singh (Kalkaji) and Jagdeep Singh (Hari Nagar) and Adarsh Shastri were present at the news conference.

The party is pulling up its socks in Punjab and eyeing at the Assembly Polls in the state, which are scheduled in 2017. The party has four MPs in Lok Sabha, all from Punjab.