Court convicts former AAP Councillor Tahir Hussain for murder of IB staffer Ankit Sharma
A Delhi court on Monday convicted former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Councillor Tahir Hussain and four others for the murder and rioting of Intelligence Bureau (IB) staffer Ankit Sharma during the 2020 communal violence in the Chand Bagh area of Northeast Delhi.
Hussain, who was suspended by the AAP shortly after the incident, was convicted of murder and rioting. However, the court acquitted him of the criminal conspiracy charge.
The four other co-accused—Nazim, Qasim, Javed, and Anas—were convicted under the same charges as Hussain, excluding the charge of murder. Meanwhile, the court acquitted six other individuals: Haseen, Firoz, Gulfam, Soyab, Sameer Khan, and Muntajim.
The case dates back to February 25, 2020, when 26-year-old Sharma went missing after leaving his home in Chand Bagh to purchase household supplies. Police officials stated that a violent mob dragged Sharma away and brutally murdered him before dumping his body in a nearby drain.
Search teams retrieved Sharma's body from the drain the next morning, on February 26, 2020. A subsequent post-mortem examination revealed that Sharma had suffered 51 sharp and blunt injuries, having been stabbed 52 times. He was one of 53 people who lost their lives during the communal violence in the region.
The police registered an FIR on February 26, 2020, following a complaint by Sharma's father, Ravinder Kumar. The complaint named Hussain as an accused, alleging that the rioters who executed the attack were operating from Hussain's building.
The Delhi Police Crime Branch later filed a 650-page chargesheet in June 2020. By March 2023, a Sessions Judge at Karkardooma Court formally framed criminal charges against Hussain and 10 other co-accused. Hussain, who has spent over five years in jail, also faces separate charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and a money laundering case.
