1984 riots case: Congress dismisses Abhishek Verma's claim on Jagdish Tytler 'clean chit'

Congress dismissed arms dealer Abhishek Verma's claim on Thursday over the clean chit to party leader Jagdish Tytler in connection with his alleged role in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.

"You are asking questions on the basis of a statement of Abhishek Verma, an arms dealer lodged in jail... What kind of credibility he has to make such allegations? CBI has now given a clean chit to Tytler during the Modi regime," party spokesman Vijay Inder Singla said.

Verma had deposed before the CBI that Tytler had told him in 2008 that he had met the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after which he got a clean chit over his alleged role in the case.

In his statement as a witness recorded by the CBI during a probe, Verma, an accused in the naval war room leak and other cases including cheating and forgery, had said that Tytler had also told him that a deal was struck and a hefty amount was paid to a riots case witness, who had deposed against him.

Singla made it clear that the Congress has always favoured action in matters of communal riots be it 2002 Gujarat riots or 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

"Congress has always said that those involved in the riots must be punished... Congress has nothing to hide... Investigative agencies are doing their job," he said.