Tahir Hussain convicted, Rekha Gupta slams Kejriwal over 'conspiracy'

BJP's Rekha Gupta slammed AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal after ex-councillor Tahir Hussain's conviction in the 2020 Delhi riots case for murdering IB officer Ankit Sharma. Gupta accused AAP of a 'political conspiracy' behind the riots.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday launched a scathing attack against the Aam Aadmi Party after a Delhi court convicted former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and four others in the 2020 North-East Delhi riots-linked murder case of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Ankit Sharma.Rekha Gupta accused former Delhi CM and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal and other senior AAP leaders of hatching a "political conspiracy" in 2020, stating that the riots caused immense suffering to the people of Delhi.

BJP Sharpens Attack on AAP

As the BJP sharpened its attack against AAP, Rekha Gupta told reporters, "Tahir Hussain, who was convicted by the court for the Delhi riots--the man who incited the violence, stockpiled weapons, and was held responsible for the murder of Ankit Sharma. He is a man guilty of crimes against Delhi and its people; his actions inflicted suffering upon thousands and cost hundreds of lives. Given the Aam Aadmi Party's links to and political patronage of Tahir Hussain, will Arvind Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh answer how many other such acts of inciting riots in Delhi they have orchestrated?"Welcoming the court's verdict, she added, "The events that unfolded during those riots caused immense suffering to the people of Delhi; there was a massacre, incidents ranging from stone-pelting to brutal violence, and officials were killed--even having acid thrown at them before being dumped into drains. The court's sentencing of Tahir Hussain truly represents the delivery of justice for those who lost their lives in those acts. Tahir Hussain, Kejriwal, Sanjay Singh, and Manish Sisodia all bear accountability to the people of Delhi for the political conspiracy hatched at that time. The people of Delhi will never forgive them."The court convicted Tahir Hussain and the other accused on Monday. Ankit Sharma was murdered during the North East Delhi riots in February 2020, and his body was later recovered from a drain. Meanwhile, the Karkardooma Court will hear arguments on the sentencing of former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and four other convicts. Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Praveen Singh listed the matter for arguments on sentence on July 23.

'Kejriwal is the Biggest Culprit': BJP Spokesperson

BJP National Spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia also slammed Kejriwal, labelling him the "biggest culprit" alongside Tahir Hussain. Addressing a press conference, Bhatia welcomed the trial court's verdict and alleged that Kejriwal provided "political protection" to Hussain and used him as a tool to instigate communal violence."The main accused in this case was Tahir Hussain. At the time of this heinous crime, he was an elected councillor for the Aam Aadmi Party and a very close associate--the right hand--of Arvind Kejriwal. Today, Tahir Hussain has been convicted under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, Section 365 for kidnapping, and Section 153A for promoting enmity between different groups. This case has been proven, and he has been punished. Along with him, four others, Javed, Anas, Nazim, and Qasim, have also been punished... The biggest culprit alongside Tahir Hussain is Arvind Kejriwal, at whose behest this occurred and who engaged in a cover-up. He was the Chief Minister, but not a single word was said for Ankit Sharma or the Indian citizens killed in the Delhi riots. About 60 people were killed, and not once did he speak for them," Bhatia alleged.

Kejriwal Responds to Allegations

Arvind Kejriwal has maintained that Tahir Hussain was expelled from the party "a long, long time back". Kejriwal had suspended Hussain from the party after the registration of the FIR against him.Responding to a post on X by BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya, Kejriwal said Hussain was no longer associated with the AAP and took a swipe at the BJP. "We expelled him from AAP a long, long time back. Didn't he join one of the Chanda Chor party's sister organisations?" Kejriwal said in a post on X.

Police Commissioner Satisfied with Investigation

The then Delhi Police Commissioner SN Shrivastava said that he was satisfied that the investigation was on the "right track" and welcomed the court's order. Former Police Commissioner Shrivastava said, "I am quite satisfied that the investigation we conducted was on the right track and the court also acknowledged it, and today we see that the guilty parties, including Tahir Hussain and his associates, have been convicted. The riots involved individuals with political agendas who sought to topple the establishment."

Lawyer Explains Legal Basis of Conviction

Tahir Hussain's lawyer, Advocate Abdul Gaffar, said, "The court's observation in the judgment is that there was an unlawful assembly at that location on that day, and the accused whom the court has convicted were part of that unlawful assembly. The conviction of these individuals is based on Section 149 of the IPC. This section stipulates that if an unlawful assembly exists and you are a part of it, it does not matter whether or not you personally committed any specific act. All members of that unlawful assembly are held liable for any act committed or offence caused in pursuit of the assembly's common object. The court deemed the witness testimony establishing Tahir Hussain's presence to be reliable and concluded that he was indeed present at the scene that day."(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)