An Indian court on Thursday postponed until April 28 its verdict on the alleged involvement of a Congress Party politician in anti-Sikh riots of 1984 amid protests by the Sikh community. Congress Party leader Jagdish Tytler is accused of inciting mobs to attack Sikhs in Delhi after the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984.
At least 2,000 Sikhs were killed in the Indian capital during the riots. Tytler claims he is innocent and Indias federal investigative agency the Criminal Bureau of Investigation recently submitted a report to the court which, according to local media, said they had found no evidence against Tytler in the case.
The CBIs so-called "clean chit" has led to emotional protests by the Sikh community in Delhi and in the north-western state of Punjab, where more than half the population follow the Sikh religion.
A journalist Jarnail Singh made headlines Tuesday when he threw his shoe at federal Home Minister P Chidambaram, a senior Congress Party leader, during a press briefing. Singh later said he was angered by the ministers reply to his question on Tytlers nomination as a Congress Party candidate despite his association with the 1984 riots.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Sikhs in Punjab blocked traffic and disrupted rail services in the state on Wednesday. Scattered protests led by Punjabs ruling Akali Dal party and Sikh religious organisations continued across the state and in Delhi on Thursday.