Asaduddin Owaisi's party fields 2020 Delhi riots accused for Assembly polls
Asaduddin Owaisi's party fields 2020 Delhi riots accused for Assembly polls
M.U.H
10/12/202430
Asaduddin Owaisi's All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) announced the candidature of expelled AAP councillor Tahir Hussain from the Mustafabad constituency in the upcoming Delhi elections. Hussain had faced accusations related to the 2020 Delhi riots.
Owaisi confirmed the move, saying, "MCD Councillor Tahir Hussain joined AIMIM and will be our candidate from Mustafabad Assembly Constituency in the upcoming Delhi Vidhan Sabha elections. His family members and supporters met with me today and joined the party."
The announcement was met with criticism from Kapil Mishra, a BJP leader, who said, "Owaisi has aligned himself with the man responsible for the murder of Ankit Sharma, the one whose house was found with bombs and stones, and who attempted to kill hundreds of Hindus in Delhi. Owaisi should remember that if another riot happens in Delhi under Tahir Hussain's name, the consequences will be remembered by his seven generations."
Hussain recently received relief from the Delhi High Court, which quashed an FIR against him in connection with the Delhi riots. The FIR, filed on February 27, 2020, accused him of rioting and vandalism on the first floor of a building. The court noted that Hussain was already facing charges in another case related to the same incident.
The court observed that a prior FIR had been registered for the same incident on February 24, 2020. It stated that the chargesheet filed by the Delhi police in the present FIR would be treated as supplementary to the original case.
Hussain had been elected as a councillor from the Nehru Nagar ward on an AAP ticket. During a November hearing, the court noted that evidence from both FIRs showed that rioters had first broken into a parking area, set vehicles on fire, and then moved to the first floor of the building, where food was being prepared for a wedding. The rioters caused significant damage to property.
Violence erupted in northeast Delhi on February 24, 2020, leaving at least 53 people dead and around 700 injured.
