Echoes Of 1984: CBI Collects Congress Leader Jagdish Tytler's Voice Sample In Anti-Sikh Riots Case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has summoned Congress leader Jagdish Tytler to collect voice samples in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

The riots, which followed the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards, resulted in the deaths of thousands of Sikhs.

Tytler is accused of inciting a mob that killed three people in the Pul Bangash area of Delhi.

According to the reports, fresh evidence has been found in the 39-year-old case, which has made it necessary for the CBI to collect Tytler's voice sample.

As Tytler arrived at the Central Forensic Science Laboratory, he made a bold statement, reported ANI, saying, "I am ready to get hanged...if there is a single evidence against me." He went on to add, "What have I done? If there's evidence against me, then I'm prepared to hang myself...It wasn't related to 1984 riots case for which they wanted my voice (sample), but another case."

The 1984 anti-Sikh riots were triggered by the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. The violent attacks on the Sikh community claimed the lives of at least 3,000 people, according to official figures, while independent sources estimate the number to be much more than that.

Despite being given a clean chit by the CBI on three occasions, Tytler's involvement in the riots has come under scrutiny once again after the agency found fresh evidence in the case.

His name was also mentioned in the report of the Nanavati Commission, which was tasked with investigating the anti-Sikh riots. The Commission had ordered the CBI to reopen three cases, including the one against Tytler, in 2005.

Tytler's alleged role in the riots has long been a source of embarrassment for the Congress, with its rivals accusing the party of shielding its leaders accused in the case.