 officer Ankit Sharma){kind=link}
A Delhi court has convicted former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Tahir Hussain and four others for the murder of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Ankit Sharma during the communal violence that erupted in northeast Delhi in February 2020.
The court found Hussain, along with Javed, Anas, Nazim and Kasim, guilty of murder, rioting and other related offences. However, all five were acquitted of the charge of criminal conspiracy.
The court also acquitted six other accused, citing insufficient evidence to establish their involvement in the crime.
The 2020 Delhi Riots
The violence broke out in northeast Delhi in February 2020 amid protests and counter-protests over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Communal clashes quickly spread across several localities, including Chand Bagh, Khajuri Khas and Mustafabad, where mobs engaged in stone-pelting, arson and violent attacks. Shops, homes and vehicles were set ablaze, while gunfire and clashes left dozens dead and many injured.
How Ankit Sharma Was Killed
According to the prosecution and eyewitness accounts, Ankit Sharma, 26, had returned home from work on February 25, 2020, when he found the situation in his neighbourhood rapidly deteriorating.
As violence escalated, Sharma reportedly stepped out of his house in an attempt to calm tensions. Investigators alleged that he reached an area near a mosque and Tahir Hussain’s residence, where a mob had gathered.
The prosecution said the mob surrounded Sharma, preventing him from escaping, before dragging him towards Hussain’s house. There, he was allegedly attacked with sharp-edged weapons and killed.
His body was later dumped in a nearby drain.
Father’s Search Ends In Tragedy
Sharma’s father, Ravinder Kumar, a former police officer, reported his son missing after he failed to return home on the night of February 25.
The following day, local residents informed police that a young man’s body had been found in a drain. Divers recovered the body, which was later identified as Ankit Sharma.
The post-mortem report revealed the brutality of the attack. According to investigators, Sharma had sustained 51 injuries caused by knives and other sharp weapons. Doctors concluded that severe injuries to his lungs and brain, along with excessive blood loss, caused his death at the scene.
Investigators also alleged that the body was dumped into the drain in an attempt to conceal evidence and delay identification.
Trial And Court Proceedings
In March 2023, the trial court framed charges against 11 accused, including Tahir Hussain, under various provisions related to rioting, promoting enmity between communities, murder and criminal conspiracy.
During the framing of charges, the prosecution alleged that Hussain had incited the mob by urging them to target members of the Hindu community and “not spare them.”
Earlier in the proceedings, the Delhi High Court had rejected Hussain’s bail plea after considering the seriousness of the allegations and the evidence presented by the prosecution.
With the conviction now delivered, the court will pronounce the sentence after hearing arguments from both the prosecution and the defence.