Who is Jagdish Tytler? What is his alleged role in the anti-Sikh riots?

A Delhi court has ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation to frame charges against Congress leader Jagdish Tytler in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.

The court ordered charges including murder and provocation with intent to cause riot be framed against Tytler in a case related to the killing of three people – Badal Singh, Gurcharan Singh and Thakur Singh – at Pul Bangash.

Special CBI judge Rakesh Siyal said there was sufficient evidence to put Tytler on trial.

“Sufficient ground is there to proceed against the accused person,” Siyal said.

But what do we know about Tytler? What role did he play in the anti-Sikh riots?

Let’s take a closer look:

What do we know about Tytler?

Tytler was born in Gujranwala, which is now in Pakistan, on 17 August, 1944.

His father James Douglas Tytler, founded several public schools including the Delhi Public School, the Summerfields School and the JD Tytler Higher Secondary School.

Tytler represented India as one-man delegation to the United Nations Conference on alternative sources of energy in Yugoslavia.

He also headed up the Indian delegation to the United Nations and has represented India at the body.

Tytler first served in government in the Cabinet of then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Tytler, who was Minister of Civil Aviation, held a number of portfolios including the Minister for Surface Transport, Minister for Tourism, Minister for Labour, Minister for Food Processing in the Rajiv government.

Tytler also served as Minister for Coal in the PV Narasimha Rao regime.

Tytler also created the National Highway Authority of India which modernised the national highways.

Tytler represented the Delhi Sadar Parliamentary Constituency as Member of Parliament from 1980 to 1989 and again between 1991 and 1995.

He was the Congress’ Minister of State for Overseas Indian Affairs (Independent Charge) and chairman, Committee for Environment and Science & Technology, All India Congress Committee.

What role did he play in the anti-Sikh riots?

Tytler has been accused of inciting a mob in New Delhi after the assassination of Indira Gandhi.

Three people were killed and a gurdwara was set ablaze in Pul Bangash on November 1, 1984, a day after the then prime minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards.

As per Indian Express, the chargesheet claimed that at 9.10 am on the morning of November 1, 1984, a mob assembled near the Pul Bangash Gurudwara.

The mob, which was chanting anti-Sikh slogans, then set the gurudwara on fire.

The mob also looted shops at Azad Market and set them ablaze.

The CBI in its chargesheet filed in May 2023 accused Tytler of “inciting, instigating and provoking the mob” gathered near the Pul Bangash gurdwara on November 1, 1984.

The CBI chargesheet quoted an eyewitness as saying she saw Tytler getting out of his car and instigating the mob.

The witness claimed Tytler riled up the mob by saying “kill the Sikhs, they have killed our mother," following which three people were killed.

NDTV quoted the CBI as writing in the chargesheet, “She witnessed a mob looting her shop, but she decided to return back as early as possible. While on her way back, on the Main Road close to the Gurdwara Pul Bangash, she saw a white Ambassador car from which accused Jagdish Tytler came out. Accused Jagdish Tytler instigated the mob to first kill Sikhs and then engage in looting. After seeing this, she returned to her house and thereafter took shelter in the house of her neighbour, where she witnessed the bodies of Shri Badel Singh and Shri Gorcharan Singh (an employee of her husband who had stayed at their house in the night of 31.10.1984) being thrown from the roof of neighbour’s house and then carried on wooden-cart along with tyres, and then these bodies were burnt using the tyres. She also saw the Gurudwara Pul Bangash being set on fire by the mob.”

Tytler was also named in the report of the Nanavati Commission which was formed to probe the riots, as per NDTV.

The CBI chargesheet also quoted from an affidavit filed before the Nanavati Commission which stated, “Accused Jagdish Tytler also said that his position has been greatly compromised and lowered in the eyes of central leaders. As per this affidavit, accused Jagdish Tytler told the persons present there that only nominal killing of Sikhs has taken place in his constituency as compared to East Delhi, Outer Delhi, Cantt. etc.”

The affidavit claimed Tytler also said that he had promised large-scale killing of Sikhs and sought full protection, but “you have betrayed me and let me down.”

The affidavit also quoted another witness as having claimed to see a mob carrying petrol canisters, sticks, swords, and rods, with Tytler, then a Member of Parliament, in front of the gurudwara.

The riots left at least 3,000 dead, however independent sources have put that number at closer to 8,000 with 3,000 killed in Delhi alone.

PTI reported that most witnesses said they failed to hear what Tytler told the mob but they saw him alight from the car and make a speech that triggered the rampage.

As per Indian Express, the chargesheet also quoted a witness who claimed that in December 2021, when he visited Tytler’s farmhouse at Church Road in Vasant Kunj, the Congress leader bragged about “how he had killed 100 Sikhs.”

As per Indian Express, the CBI also claimed that claimed SS Granthi, Head Granthi of Gurudwara Pul Bangash, had retracted his statement against Tytler after a threat.

The CBI claimed Granthi’s son corroborated his father’s claims.

Granthi’s son said his father had sent him abroad because of this threat.

The chargesheet also quoted journalist Sudeep Mazumdar, a witness during the probe.

Mazumdar claimed Tytler barged into the office of the then Delhi Commissioner of Police SC Tandon and demanded that his men be released.

“There is sufficient evidence to frame charges against Tytler. There are eyewitnesses who saw him incite the mob during the 1984 riots,” the agency told the court.

The court ordered framing of charges for several offences, including unlawful assembly, rioting, promoting enmity between different groups, house trespass and theft.

The court has listed the matter for September 13 for formally framing the charges.

The CBI will charge Tytler with unlawful assembly, rioting, disobedience to order, defiling a place of worship, abetment), mischief by fire, and theft, apart from murder and intent to cause a riot, as per NDTV.

However, Tytler has insisted on his innocence.

“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,” he said as per ANI.

Tytler has been given a clean chit by the CBI thrice, as per NDTV.

A sessions court had earlier granted anticipatory bail to Tytler in the case.

While granting him the relief, it had imposed certain conditions on him, including that he will not tamper with the evidence in the case or leave the country without court’s permission.

The court had granted anticipatory bail to Tytler on a personal bond of ₹1 lakh and surety of the like amount.

A magisterial court had on September 11, 2023 sent the case to the district judge for further proceedings.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vidhi Gupta Anand forwarded the case to the district judge so the matter could be committed to a sessions judge, noting that Tytler was accused of murder (punishable under sections 302 of IPC), an offence “exclusively triable” by a sessions court.

The offence entails the maximum punishment of death penalty in the rarest of rare cases.

With inputs from agencies