Ex-AAP leader Tahir Hussain convicted of murdering IB officer during Delhi riots
Ex-AAP leader Tahir Hussain convicted of murdering IB officer during Delhi riots
M.U.H
14/07/202612
More than six years after Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma was killed during the northeast Delhi riots, a Delhi court on Monday convicted former Aam Aadmi Party councillor Tahir Hussain and four others in the murder case, while acquitting six accused for lack of evidence.
Additional Sessions Judge Praveen Singh, who was hearing the case against 11 accused, convicted Hussain along with Nazim, Kasim, Javed and Anas.
Hussain was found guilty under provisions related to murder, promoting enmity between different religious groups, rioting and assault or criminal force used to dishonour a person. However, the criminal conspiracy charge against him was dropped.
According to reports from inside the courtroom, Hussain broke down and was seen crying after the verdict was pronounced.
CASE TRACED BACK TO ANKIT SHARMA'S DISAPPEARANCE
The case stems from an FIR lodged at Dayalpur police station by Ravinder Kumar, father of Ankit Sharma.
According to the complaint, Sharma, an Intelligence Bureau officer, returned home from work on February 25, 2020, before stepping out again. When he did not return, his family began searching for him.
Locals later informed the family that Sharma had been killed and his body had been thrown into the Khajuri Khas drain near a mosque in the Chand Bagh Pulia area. His body was later recovered from the drain.
In his complaint, Ravinder Kumar alleged that Sharma was murdered by the then AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and others. He claimed the accused had gathered at Hussain's office before the murder and later disposed of the body.
FIVE CONVICTED, SIX ACQUITTED
Besides Hussain, the court convicted Nazim, Kasim, Javed and Anas. Six other accused were acquitted after the court found insufficient evidence against them.
The 11 accused in the case were Tahir Hussain, Haseen alias Mullaji alias Salman, Nazim, Kasim, Sameer Khan, Anas, Firoz, Javed, Gulfam, Shoaib Alam alias Bobby and Muntajim alias Musa.
On March 24, 2023, the court framed charges against all 11 accused under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including rioting, rioting with deadly weapons, promoting enmity between groups, murder and criminal conspiracy.
Hussain also faced additional charges related to abetment and making statements conducive to public mischief.
FORMER DELHI POLICE OFFICER REACTS
Reacting to the verdict, former Delhi Police Special Commissioner Satish Golchha, who supervised the investigation into the 2020 Delhi riots, said the judgment reaffirmed the credibility of the police probe.
"During the Delhi riots, our primary responsibility was to maintain law and order and ensure a fair, impartial and evidence-based investigation. Every effort was made to collect credible evidence and bring those responsible before the law," Golchha told India Today.
"With the court delivering its judgment, I feel satisfied that the hard work and professionalism of the investigating team have stood the test of judicial scrutiny."
He added, "We remain committed to bringing all those responsible for crimes committed during the 2020 riots to justice through the due process of law."
LINKED TO 2020 DELHI RIOTS
The murder took place during the communal violence that erupted in northeast Delhi in February 2020 amid protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
The clashes, marked by incidents of stone-pelting, arson and vandalism, left 53 people dead and scores injured, making them one of the deadliest episodes of violence in the national capital in recent years.
The verdict is among the most significant judicial outcomes in cases arising from the 2020 Delhi riots. The quantum of sentence will be decided by the court at a later date.
