Delhi court convicts ex-AAP councillor Tahir Hussain in IB officer Ankit Sharma murder case during 2020 riots

A Delhi court on Monday convicted former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain and four others in connection with the killing of Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma during the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, according to PTI.

Additional Sessions Judge Praveen Singh delivered the verdict in a case involving 11 accused, including Hussain, and found five of them guilty.

The court convicted Tahir Hussain on charges including promoting enmity, rioting, using assault and criminal force, and murder.

The case originated from an FIR filed at Dayalpur police station based on a complaint lodged by Ravinder Kumar, the father of Ankit Sharma.

According to him, Ankit Sharma came back home from work on 25 February 2020, before leaving again later that day.

When he failed to return, his family launched a search and was allegedly informed by local residents that he had been killed and that his body had been dumped in the Khajuri Khas drain near a mosque in the Chand Bagh Pulia area.

His body was later recovered from the drain. In the complaint, Ankit Sharma’s father, Ravinder Kumar, accused former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and others of murdering his son. In the complaint, they alleged that the accused had gathered at Hussain’s office and disposed of Ankit’s body after the killing.

What did the father of Ankit Sharma allege?

In his complaint, Ravinder Kumar alleged that his son was murdered by the then AAP councillor Hussain and others. It said they had allegedly assembled at Hussain's office, and Ankit's body was disposed of after the murder.

Delhi court frames charges against 11

A Delhi court framed charges against him and 10 other accused in the case on 24 March 2023 for the offences of 120B (Criminal Conspiracy) IPC read with Sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting with lethal weapon), 153A (promoting enmity between communities based on religion), 302 (murder) IPC, as per ANI.

The remaining accused in the case are Haseen, also known as Mullaji and Salman, Nazim, Kasim, Sameer Khan, Anas, Firoz, Javed, Gulfam, Shoaib Alam alias Bobby, and Muntajim alias Musa

The accused faced charges under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code related to rioting, rioting with deadly weapons, promoting hostility between groups, murder, and criminal conspiracy.

Tahir Hussain was also booked under additional charges of abetment and making statements allegedly leading to public mischief.

Following the allegations, the AAP had suspended Hussain.

Ankit Sharma’s body was recovered from the Khajuri Khas drain near Chand Bagh Pulia. According to the case records, he had suffered multiple sharp-force injuries to his head, face, chest, back and waist. His face and several other parts of his body had also allegedly been disfigured with acid in an attempt to conceal his identity.

The police, accompanied by the complainant and the deceased’s maternal uncle, took Sharma’s body to GTB Hospital, where he was declared dead, as per ANI.

The case relates to the communal violence that broke out in northeast Delhi in February 2020 amid protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. The unrest involved incidents of stone pelting, arson and vandalism, resulting in the deaths of 53 people and injuries to several others.