Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: A Delhi court on Monday convicted former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain along with four other accused in connection with the 2020 riots in northeast Delhi, finding them guilty in the murder of Intelligence Bureau official Ankit Sharma; Hussain broke down in tears after the verdict was announced, maintaining his innocence. The February 2020 riots had claimed 53 lives, left several others injured, and caused property damage worth crores of rupees.
Case Background: IB Official Killed During CAA Protests
The case dates back to February 25, 2020, when Ankit Sharma, a security assistant with the Intelligence Bureau, was killed by rioters in the Chand Bagh area during protests against the CAA; his body was recovered from a drain the following day. An FIR was registered at Dayalpur police station based on a complaint filed by his father, Ravindra Kumar. Delhi Police’s Crime Branch had arrested 11 accused, including then-AAP councillor Tahir Hussain, and filed a 648-page main chargesheet in court on June 3, 2020, along with six supplementary chargesheets during the course of the investigation.
Court Convicts Five, Acquits Six After Lengthy Trial
Additional Sessions Judge Pulkit Singh of Karkardooma Court convicted five of the accused in this high-profile case on Monday, while acquitting six others. According to a senior Delhi Police official, the conviction came after a prolonged legal process during which the court examined statements and evidence from 91 of the 110 witnesses presented by the prosecution. Charges in the case were framed by the court on March 17, 2023. The court found Tahir Hussain, Nazim, Kasim, Javed and Anas guilty under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, though Hussain was acquitted of the criminal conspiracy charge.
Convicts Found Guilty Under Multiple IPC Sections
The convicted individuals were found guilty under Section 302 (murder), Section 149 (unlawful assembly), Section 148 (rioting with a deadly weapon), Section 147 (punishment for rioting), Section 188 (disobedience of a government order) and Section 365 (kidnapping).
