On Monday, a Delhi court rendered a significant verdict in the case concerning the murder of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Ankit Sharma during the 2020 Delhi riots. The Karkardooma Sessions Court, presided over by Judge Praveen Singh, found former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain, along with four others, guilty of Sharma’s murder.
The court’s decision concluded that Hussain committed offenses under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). These included Section 188 for disobeying an order promulgated by a public servant, Section 153A for promoting enmity between different groups, Section 147 for rioting, Section 148 concerning rioting with a deadly weapon, Section 149 for unlawful assembly, Section 365 for kidnapping or abducting with intent to secretly and wrongfully confine a person, and Section 302 for murder. However, Hussain was acquitted of charges related to criminal conspiracy under Section 120B of the IPC.
Additionally, the court found Nazir, Asim, Javed, and Anas guilty of the same charges. The case originated from a First Information Report (FIR) filed following a complaint by Ankit Sharma’s father, Ravinder Kumar, on February 26, 2020. Kumar’s complaint described a backdrop of escalating violence between anti-CAA and pro-CAA protesters at Chand Bagh Pulia, Main Karawal Nagar Road. Both sides engaged in stone-pelting, arson, and other violent acts over the course of 2-3 days.
Ravinder Kumar’s allegations detailed that Tahir Hussain, who was a municipal councillor at the time, had assembled a group of individuals at his office. From there, they reportedly launched stones, petrol bombs, and fired weapons from the rooftop, instilling panic among the local population. On February 25, 2020, Ankit Sharma left home to purchase household items but failed to return, prompting Kumar to file a missing persons report.
Later, local residents informed Kumar that a young man had been killed and his body thrown into the Khajuri Khas nala from the Chand Bagh Pulia mosque. Tragically, Ankit Sharma’s body was recovered from the Khajuri Khas nala, near the Chand Bagh Pulia. In his complaint, Ravinder Kumar expressed strong suspicion that his son was killed by Tahir Hussain and his accomplices and that his body was subsequently disposed of in the drain.
