AMRITSAR: The

has equated the killings of Sikhs in 1984 riots with the genocide of Jews by Nazis, senior advocate H S Phoolka said in a release issued here on Monday.

The CBI submited its reply in response to the bail application filed by

in the

. Kumar was awarded life imprisonment by the Delhi high court on December 17, 2018 and is now in jail.

Phoolka also released Para 3 of the CBI’s reply, which reads: “The present appeal arises in reference to a ghastly incident that occurred on the morning of 31st October 1984 in Delhi, subsequent to which thousands of Sikhs were brutally murdered and their houses vandalised. The killings had taken place in pursuance to the provocative speeches made by the applicant/convict against the Sikh community. The killing of five innocent Sikhs in this case was not a revengeful act but had taken place due to the hatred disseminated, spread by the applicant, convict against the Sikhs. The brutal murder of innocent Sikhs during the 1984 riots falls under the category of crimes against the humanity on parity with well known genocides worldwide like large scale killing of Armenians by Kurds and Turks, mass extermination of Jews by Nazis, mass killing of Bangladeshi citizens by the sympathizers of Pakistani army and mass killing during various ethnic riots within India also. In this case, the minority community was targeted by the spearheaded attacks of the dominant political actors like the applicant/convict and duly facilitated by the law enforcement agencies. As such, this case has to be viewed in the larger context of mass crimes and requires a different approach than a case of normal murder/ rioting.”

Phoolka informed that the bail application of Kumar was now listed before SC for March 25.