New Delhi, July 14 (HS): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday welcomed the court's verdict in the murder case of Intelligence Bureau (IB) official Ankit Sharma during the 2020 Delhi riots and launched a sharp attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress over the issue.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters, party spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said the court had convicted former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain along with Javed, Anas, Nazim and Kasim in the case. He said the court held that the offence was committed as part of a criminal conspiracy and with a common intention, and observed that Sharma's murder formed part of a larger conspiracy during the riots.

Bhatia said the verdict reaffirmed that the IB officer was brutally killed while performing his official duties and described the judgment as a victory of justice, the rule of law and the Constitution.

He also questioned the silence of former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, noting that Tahir Hussain was an elected AAP councillor at the time of the incident.

Targeting the Congress, Bhatia alleged that the opposition had spread misinformation over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and sought to incite people. He questioned Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge on how many Muslims had lost their citizenship after the implementation of the CAA, asserting that the number was zero.

The BJP spokesperson also criticised AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan for describing the court's verdict as unfortunate, stating that the judgment was based on evidence and witness testimonies.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar