New Delhi, 11 June (H.S.):
A Delhi court on Thursday deferred its verdict in the murder case of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Ankit Sharma, who was killed during the northeast Delhi riots in February 2020. Additional Sessions Judge Praveen Singh of the Karkardooma Court directed that the judgment would now be delivered in July.
Apart from former Aam Aadmi Party councillor Tahir Hussain, the accused in the case include Haseen alias Mullaji alias Salman, Nazim, Qasim, Sameer Khan, Anas, Firoz, Javed, Gulfam, Shoaib Alam alias Bobby, and Muntazim alias Musa.
The Delhi Police Crime Branch filed the chargesheet in the case on June 3, 2020. According to the chargesheet, Tahir Hussain allegedly led a mob from his residence and from a mosque near the Chand Bagh pulia on February 24 and 25, 2020, and gave the violence a communal character.
The prosecution alleged that a conspiracy had been hatched to murder Ankit Sharma and that he was specifically targeted by the mob allegedly led by Hussain. The incident took place outside Hussain’s residence in the Khajuri Khas area. Investigators stated that after Sharma was killed, his body was thrown into a nearby drain.
According to the police, the post-mortem examination revealed 51 injuries caused by sharp-edged weapons. The investigation further alleged that Hussain played a key role in instigating the mob in the Chand Bagh area and identified him as the mastermind behind the crime.
Based on the complaint lodged by Sharma’s father, Delhi Police registered an FIR against Tahir Hussain under Sections 302 (murder), 365 (kidnapping), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.
The chargesheet also stated that a large quantity of materials allegedly used during the violence was recovered from the rooftop of Hussain’s house.
The northeast Delhi riots of February 2020 claimed 53 lives and left nearly 200 people injured, making them one of the deadliest episodes of communal violence in the national capital in recent years.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
