New Delhi: Former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, serving life term in Tihar jail, accused the CBI before a Delhi court on Tuesday of tutoring a key witness in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. The fact that the witness was giving information contrary to his police statement in 1985 point to his being tutored, Kumar’s counsel said.

The submission came after Joginder Singh, a witness and complainant in the case, told the court that certain facts written in the statement given by him to the police relating to the case were false.

Mr Singh was being cross-examined before district judge Poonam A Bamba when he said that, contrary to his previous statement to the police, he did not run away when some people came and looted his house during the riots.

Three persons — Kumar, Brahmanand Gupta and Ved Prakash — are facing trial on charges of murder and rioting pertaining to the killing of Surjit Singh (Joginder’s cousin) in Sultanpuri.

The riots broke out after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984.

Kumar is currently lodged in Tihar jail after conviction in another case related to the riots. Mr Singh had said in 1985 that some people had entered his house and looted precious jewellery and money. He said he had run away from his house and did not recognise any of them.

When the defence counsel pointed out that in his previous statement Mr Singh had not named the accused or named any Surjit, the witness told the court: “I had named everyone. I had taken the name of Sajjan Kumar as one of the accused and given every detail about Surjit to the police. I don’t know if they had recorded it or not.”

The advocate appearing for the former Congress leader however said: “Singh has been tutored. It was evident from the previous statement and today’s statement that Singh was giving a false statement.”