NewDelhi: Arms dealer Abhishek Verma an eye witness in the November 1984 Sikh Genocide against Jagdish Tytler on Thursday said he was ready for a lie-detection test in a 1984 Sikh massacre case if Congress leader Jagdish Tytler, given a clean chit by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for his role, also agreed to it.
Abhishek Verma while speaking to the media has expressed fear for his life and concerns for his family’s security, he further stated in the court that he had no objection in undergoing the polygraph test if he was provided with adequate security and the process was videographed.
Jagdish Tytler has objected to the test saying the CBI has not given any reason for conducting it and its plea for conducting it was “gross misuse of law” and filed with “mala fide intention” he said.
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Additional chief metropolitan magistrate Shivali Sharma took on record the reply filed by Abhishek Verma and listed CBI’s plea seeking to conduct the lie-detection test of Jagdish Tytler and Abhishek Verma on March 16 for hearing arguments, said the media reports.
As reported by the media Advocate Maninder Singh, who appeared for Abhishek Verma, said he had been made a witness by the CBI in the case and it would be proper if the agency records his statement before a magistrate under Section 164 Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) as he would not be able to retract from it.
“If Jagdish Tytler agrees for the test, I have no objection on it. But if I am going for the test, adequate security should be provided to me and my family as I am under threat. Asking me for the lie-detection test is more of pointing fingers at me rather than the accused. I am a witness and I am coming forward to help the prosecution,” Abhishek Verma reportedly said in the statement so submitted with the court.
Giving conditional consent, the witness’ counsel said the questions put to Abhishek Verma during the test should be related to this case only and not to any other case in which he has been made accused by the agency. The CBI prosecutor, however, said the consent should be unconditional and there should not be any condition, reads a quote in Hindustan Times (HT).
During the hearing, senior advocate HS Phoolka, who represented genocide survivors said keeping in mind the background of the case, the witness should be provided adequate security.
Three decades of Impunity and denial of Justice:
It is notable that high ups in the Congress party and the Indian administration perpetrated the Sikh genocidal violence against the Sikhs in November 1984, in which thousands of Sikhs were massacred throughout India. Culprits of the genocidal massacres of Nov. 1984 have enjoyed impunity and high political posts during past three decades where as the victims of the massacre were left to perish as the justice was blatantly denied in these cases.