- Former AAP Councillor Tahir Hussain convicted for Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma's 2020 murder
- Karkardooma Court found Hussain guilty of enmity promotion, rioting, assault, and murder
- The officer's body was later recovered from a drain. His face, other parts of body had been burned by acid
A Delhi court on Monday convicted former Aam Aadmi Party Councillor Tahir Hussain, four others for the murder of Intelligence Bureau (IB) official Ankit Sharma during the 2020 northeast Delhi riots.
The Karkardooma Court found Tahir Hussain, who was suspended by the AAP after his name came up in the case, guilty under the charges of promoting enmity, rioting, assault, criminal force and murder.
Apart from Hussain, the court convicted four other accused - Javed, Anas, Nazim and Kasim - for the murder of Sharma.
The court acquitted six other accused persons, holding that the prosecution had failed to establish their guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
The quantum of sentence is yet to be decided, with the court fixing a later date for hearing arguments on sentencing.
Hussain's lawyer, Abdul Gaffar, said they will "appeal against the court verdict".
According to the prosecution, Hussain and the co-accused formed part of an unlawful assembly that kidnapped and murdered the Intelligence officer during the riots.
At the stage of framing of charges, the court had also recorded the prosecution's submission that Hussain had incited the mob to target Hindus and exhorted them to "not spare them".
Earlier, the Delhi High Court had dismissed Hussain's plea seeking bail in the case after considering the allegations and the material placed on record.
The officer's body was later recovered from a drain. His face and other parts of his body had been burned by acid to conceal his identity.
This case was registered on February 26, 2020, on the complaint given by Ravinder Kumar, the victim's father.
In his complaint, he alleged that the demonstration had been going on by the anti-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) and pro-CAA protesters for 2-3 days at Chand Bagh Pulia, Main Karawal Nagar Road, in which the incidents of stone throwing, brick batting, arson, firing and sabotage had taken place from both sides.
He also alleged that Mohd. Tahir, the then Municipal Councillor, had his office at Main Karawal Nagar Road, near Chand Bagh Pulia, and he had gathered a lot of goons in his office. The mob threw stones, petrol bombs and shots were fired from the rooftop of the building/office of Tahir Hussain, and he had created an atmosphere of fear among the public.
The complainant further alleged that on February 25, 2020, his son Ankit Sharma had come back from his office and had gone out again to bring some household goods at about 5 pm.
It was further alleged that when his son did not return after a long time, he started searching for his son at nearby places, hospitals, etc. After waiting overnight, he had lodged a missing report on February 26, 2020, at 11.41 am of his son Ankit Sharma.
Then the complainant came to know from the local boys that a body had been thrown into the Khajuri Khas nala from the Masjid of Chand Bagh pulia after he was killed.
