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Jagdish Tytler (born 17 August 1944) is an Indian National Congress politician and former Member of Parliament. He was the Minister of State for Overseas Indian Affairs.

Tytler has been accused of involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in India, a charge that he denies. The riots had occurred after Sikh bodyguards assassinated Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He had resigned from his ministerial position in 2005, after an official commission of inquiry (Nanavati Commission) noted that he was probably involved in organising attacks against the Sikh community in Delhi. In March 2009, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed its final report on investigation and cleared Jagdish Tytler from involvement. The Congress party dropped his name as the candidate for the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, due to the controversy about the riots. A Delhi court in 2013, ordered the CBI to re-investigate the charges against Tytler. No charges against Tytler have been proved till now.

Early days

Tytler was born as Jagdish Kapoor in Gujranwala, British India, to a Punjabi Hindu father and Sikh mother. He was later brought up by eminent educationist James Douglas Tytler, the founder of many public schools including the Delhi Public School and the Summer Fields School. It is rumoured that upon his influence he converted to Christianity and changed his surname. In 2011, his entry into the Puri's Jagannath Temple (which is reserved only for Hindus), caused a huge controversy in Orissa. Tytler denied having converted to Christianity, and stated that he had changed his name to show his gratitude towards James Douglas Tytler, who had brought him up.

Active in the Congress' youth organisation and a "disciple" of Sanjay Gandhi, he was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1980. He served as a Union Minister first in the Civil Aviation department and then in the Labor department. He was re-elected in 1991 and served as the Union Minister of State for Surface Transport. In 2004, he was re-elected to the Lok Sabha.

1984 anti-Sikh riots

Tytler has been accused of involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in India, a charge that he denies. The riots had occurred after Sikh bodyguards assassinated Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. No charges against Tytler have been proved till now. Tytler stated that he was present at the funeral ceremony with Indira Gandhi's body and was in mourning at the time where these events occurred.

In 2019, during an event Tytler made a statement about the controversy in the anti-Sikh riot cases and said "I do not understand why is this controversy. There were 5,000 people at the function, I was one of them. There is no FIR against me. CBI cleared me three times in its inquiry. You should ask the BJP if there is any FIR against me,".

Nanavati Commission

The official report of the G.T. Nanavati Commission, judicial committee appointed by the Government of India on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots found 'credible evidence' against Tytler, saying he 'very probably' had a hand in organising the attacks. The Indian government, decided not to prosecute Jagdish Tytler due to lack of concrete evidence.

Tytler claimed no wrongdoing in the case. Tytler had not been named by eight earlier inquiry commissions set up to investigate the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. He had resigned from his post of "minister of state with independent charge of non-resident affairs" in August 2005, after the Nanavati Commission's was released.

In an interview to CNN-IBN, Justice Nanavati said that the evidence against Jagdish Tytler is not strong.

Remarks against Phoolka

During an interview of Tytler and advocate H. S. Phoolka on NDTV in 2004, Tytler had accused Phoolka of blackmailing him and demanding money from him. Phoolka had filed the case at the Ludhiana court against Tytler accusing him of making defamatory remarks in programmes telecast on NDTV news channel. Harvinder Singh Phoolka, a senior advocate is noted for spearheading legal battle to gain justice for the victims of 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

Recently, Tytler was granted bail in defamation case filed by Phoolka.

Reopening of the case in 2007

India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) closed all cases against Jagdish Tytler in November 2007 for his alleged criminal conspiracy to engineer riots against Sikhs in the aftermath of Indira Gandhi’s assassination on 31 October 1984. CBI submitted a report to the Delhi court which stated that no evidence or witness was found to corroborate the allegations against Tytler of leading murderous mobs during 1984 It was also alleged in the court that then member of the Indian Parliament Jagdish Tytler was complaining to his supporters about relatively "small" number of sikhs killed in his parliamentary constituency Delhi Sadar, which in his opinion had undermined his position in the ruling Indian National Congress party of India.

However, in December 2007, a witness Jasbir Singh, who lives in California, appeared on several private television news channels in India, and stated that he was never contacted by Central Bureau of Investigation. India's main opposition party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded an explanation from the minister in charge of CBI in Indian Parliament. However, Minister of State for Personnel Suresh Pachouri, who is in charge of department of CBI, and was present in the parliament session refused to make a statement.

On 18 December 2007, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate of Delhi court Mr. Sanjeev Jain, who had earlier dismissed the case after CBI submitted a misleading report in his court; ordered India's Central Bureau of Investigation to reopen cases relating to 1984 Anti-Sikh riots against Jagdish Tytler.

In December 2008, a two-member CBI team was sent to New York to record the statements of two eyewitnesses, Jasbir Singh and Surinder Singh. The two witnesses have stated that they saw Jagdish Tytler lead a mob during the riots, but did not want to come to India as they feared for their security.

"Clean chit" by CBI in 2009

In March 2009, the CBI filed its final report on investigation into the riots cases and cleared Jagdish Tytler. The BJP which was then in opposition alleged that "such a clean chit ahead of the elections" implied that the CBI had been misused. Hundreds of Sikh protestors gathered outside the Karkardooma courts and raised slogans against Tytler and other Congress party senior leaders allegedly involved in the riots.

On 7 April 2009, India's home minister P. Chidambaram had a shoe thrown at him by Jarnail Singh, a Sikh journalist during a press conference in Delhi on the issuance of a "clean chit" to Jagdish Tytler. Singh, who works at the Hindi daily Dainik Jagaran was dissatisfied with Chidambaram's answer to a question on the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) clean chit to Jagdish Tytler on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.

Denial of Lok Sabha ticket

After this shoe throwing incident, the Congress party dropped both Tytler and Sajjan Kumar as Congress candidates for the Lok Sabha elections of 2009. Tytler accused the media of victimizing him through a media trial. Tytler blamed "the Shiromani Akali Dal" and his "enemies" within the Congress party for scuttling his nomination.

2013 Sessions Court decision

In April 2013, a Sessions Court rejected the CBI report and ordered investigation against Tytler. Tytler's erstwhile good friend, High-profile arms dealer Abhishek Verma is the main witness in 1984 Sikh riots case against Tytler. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Karkardooma Court Judge S.P.S.Laler in December 2015 directed the CBI to record Abhishek's testimony as witness# 8 in this case against Tytler. The other high-profile witness in this case is Amitabh Bachchan.

See also

• H. K. L. Bhagat

References

1. Changing Electoral Politics in Delhi: From Caste to Class, SAGE, p.95, Sanjay Kumar
2. ^ "Jagdish Tytler: My own daughter asks if I killed Sikhs". BBC. 19 February 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
3. ^ "Clips show Jagdish Tytler confessing about riots: Sikh leader". The Times of India.
4. Bio-Data of Jagdish Singh Tytler
5. "Bio-Data of Shri Jagdish Tytler". Press Information Bureau, Government of India.
6. Cong listens to sole - Tytler and Sajjan eased out The Telegraph - 10 April. 2009. quote(final para): "He was later brought up by educationist Rev. James Douglas Tytler, the founder of Delhi Public School and several other schools, and converted to Christianity."
7. Ruckus in Orissa assembly over Tytler's Jagannath Temple visit
8. Jagdish Tytler clarifies, BJD cries riots
9. "Sheila Dikshit backs Jagdish Tytler's presence at her charge taking ceremony amid attacks by AAP, BJP". The Times of India. 16 January 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
10. Justice Nanavati talks to IBN-CNN on YouTube
11. NDTV Interview of HS Phoolka and Jagdish Tytler on YouTube
12. 25 years after 1984 riots, victims' lawyer soldiers on
13. Tytler granted bail in defamation case Archived 21 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine
14. Archived 20 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine
15. "Fresh probe into India politician". news.bb.co.uk. 18 December 2007.
16. Re-probe Tytler’s role: Court Archived 7 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine
17. BJP to govt: Clear stand on anti-Sikh riots' witness
18. 1984 riots: CBI to re-investigate Tytler's role
19. Anti Sikh riots witness to give statement to CBI in US
20. CBI files final report in anti-Sikh riot case against Tytler. Press Trust of India.
21. The Times of India
22. Congress drops Jagdish Tytler, Sajjan Kumar
23. Sheila shooed me out
24. Sessions court rejects CBI’s clean chit to Tytler. The Hindu, 10 April 2013
25. "Abhishek Verma testimony to be recorded".
26. "Amitabh Bachchan witness in Tytler case".

External links

• "I am innocent: Tytler" - rediff.com article dated 8 August 2005
• NDTV X-Factor discussion about involvement of HKL Bhagat, Tytler, Sajjan Kumar and Congress Party in 1984 riots on YouTube
• NDTV Interview of HS Phoolka and Jagdish Tytler on YouTube

• 1944 births
• Living people
• Indian National Congress politicians
• 1984 anti-Sikh riots
• 14th Lok Sabha members
• People from Delhi
• 7th Lok Sabha members
• 8th Lok Sabha members
• 10th Lok Sabha members
• Lok Sabha members from Delhi
• Civil aviation ministers of India