NEW DELHI: In a major judicial development regarding the 2020 North-East Delhi communal violence, a Delhi Court on Monday (July 13) convicted former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain and four others for the brutal murder of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Ankit Sharma.
Tahir Hussain & Co-Accused Found Guilty
Pronouncing the highly anticipated verdict at the Karkardooma Court, Additional Sessions Judge Praveen Singh found Hussain and his co-accused guilty of murder and rioting, marking one of the most significant convictions stemming from the deadly February 2020 Anti-CAA riots. According to reports, Hussain broke down in tears as the judgment was delivered. The court is expected to hear arguments on the punishment at a later date.
Court Convicts Five for Murder, Acquits Six Over Lack of Evidence
Along with Tahir Hussain, the court convicted four other men identified as Nazim, Kazim, Javed, and Anas. The group was found guilty under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Section 302 (murder), as well as charges related to promoting enmity between different religious groups, rioting with a deadly weapon, kidnapping, and unlawful assembly.
However, of the 11 individuals originally charge-sheeted in this specific FIR, the judge acquitted six accused, citing a lack of sufficient evidence to establish their direct involvement beyond a reasonable doubt.
Crucially, while Hussain was found guilty of murder and rioting, the court officially dropped the charge of criminal conspiracy (Section 120B of the IPC) against the former AAP leader in this specific case.
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The Brutal Killing of IB Staffer Ankit Sharma in Chand Bagh
The conviction brings legal closure to one of the most horrifying and widely publicized incidents of the 2020 Delhi Riots. On the evening of February 25, 2020, 26-year-old Intelligence Bureau staffer Ankit Sharma stepped out of his house in the Chand Bagh area to buy household supplies.
According to eyewitness testimonies and the subsequent Delhi Police Crime Branch investigation, Sharma was cornered and dragged away by a violent mob. He was subjected to a brutal, targeted attack, with post-mortem reports revealing that the young officer sustained over 50 sharp and blunt force injuries. His body was retrieved the following morning from a nearby drain, sparking nationwide outrage.
The FIR was subsequently registered at the Dayalpur police station based on a complaint filed by Sharma’s father, Ravinder Kumar, who explicitly named Tahir Hussain, alleging that rioters operating from the roof of Hussain’s building had executed the mob attack.
Tahir Hussain’s Role and Ongoing UAPA Trials
Following his implication in the murder, the Aam Aadmi Party immediately suspended Tahir Hussain. The former councillor has spent over five years in prison since his initial arrest in 2020, having repeatedly been denied bail by multiple courts.
While Monday’s verdict concludes the murder trial regarding Ankit Sharma, Hussain’s legal battles are far from over. He remains a key accused in the ‘larger conspiracy’ case of the 2020 Delhi riots, where he has been booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). In that separate ongoing trial, the Delhi Police Special Cell alleges that Hussain acted as a primary conspirator and local financier who facilitated the widespread communal violence that ultimately claimed the lives of 53 people and left hundreds injured across the national capital.