No Witness Appears In 1984 Riot Case Against Jagdish Tytler; Hearing Deferred
No witness testified in Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case against Jagdish Tytler; the next hearing is scheduled for January 20.
Published : January 6, 2026 at 10:59 PM IST
New Delhi: No witness appeared in Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court on Tuesday in the case filed against Jagdish Tytler, accused of the Pulbangash Gurdwara violence related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Due to the unavailability of Special Judge Jitendra Singh, the next hearing has been scheduled for January 20th.
Witness Manmohan Kaur was originally scheduled to appear today, but she was unable to appear due to the death of a family member. It should be noted that the statement of witness Harpal Kaur Bedi was recorded on July 12, 2025. Harpal Kaur Bedi identified Tytler in court.
Harpal Kaur Bedi had stated that she had received death threats from Tytler, and she had complained to the police, but no action was taken. Recounting the day of the incident, Kaur said that Jagdish Tytler came to the Pulbangash Gurdwara and incited the mob. Following Tytler's incitement, the mob burned the Gurdwara and killed three Sikhs.
Bedi also said that she owned a wholesale TV shop near the Gurdwara, and the shop was looted by the mob. When she saw the mob looting the shop, she said that Jagdish Tytler had arrived in a car and incited the mob near the Gurdwara, which then set the Gurdwara on fire. In the evening, the mob arrived and pulled out Sikhs hiding in a house, beheaded them, and threw them from the roof. After killing the Sikhs, their bodies were placed on a cart, covered with tyres, and set on fire.
Harpal Kaur Bedi said that her husband, Amarjeet Bedi, was also a Congress leader and that Tytler used to visit their shop, which is why she recognized Tytler. The complainant in this case, Lakhwinder Kaur, stated in her statement that Granthi Surendra Singh told her that her husband, Badal Singh, was murdered by a mob near Gurdwara Pulbangash. Tytler was inciting the mob, saying, "Kill the Sikhs, destroy them, and set the Gurdwara on fire."
The court granted Jagdish Tytler anticipatory bail on August 4, 2023. The court took cognizance of the charge sheet filed against him on July 26, 2023. The CBI has charged Tytler under sections 147, 109, and 302 of the Indian Penal Code. According to the CBI, Tytler incited the mob, which then set the Gurdwara in Pulbangash on fire.
