2020 Delhi Riots: Tahir Hussain, 4 Others Get Life in IB Officer Ankit Sharma Murder

Former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and four others were sentenced to life imprisonment by a Delhi court for the murder of IB officer Ankit Sharma during the 2020 Delhi riots. The court rejected the prosecution’s death penalty plea.

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Tahir Hussain, 4 others get life in IB officer Ankit Sharma murder

Former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain and four other convicts have been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Ankit Sharma during the Delhi riots in February 2020.

#WATCH | Delhi | The Karkardooma Court sentenced former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and others to life imprisonment in the case involving the murder of IB officer Ankit Sharma during the 2020 North-East Delhi riots

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During the hearing on Friday, the court said that the crime's brutality was 'nauseating and sickening', as reported by Bar and Bench.

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Court on prosecution's death penalty demand

The Karkardooma Court in Delhi rejected the prosecution's demand for the death penalty and sentenced Hussain, Nazir, Asim, Javed and Anas to life in prison.

Additional Sessions Judge Praveen Singh said the crime was extremely brutal, but held that the five convicts were not beyond the possibility of reform.

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Court rejects death penalty plea

The Delhi Police had asked the court to award the death penalty to Hussain and the other convicts, describing Sharma's murder as cold-blooded and brutal.

The prosecution argued that the manner in which Sharma was killed justified the harshest punishment.

The police counsel also told the court that those seeking mercy had not shown mercy to Sharma when he was attacked.

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'Capital punishment only in rarest of rare case'

The defence opposed the death penalty plea and argued that capital punishment can be imposed only in the "rarest of rare" cases.

The defence also pointed out that there was no evidence of a conspiracy and said that several members of the mob accused of attacking Sharma had been acquitted.

After considering the arguments, the court chose life imprisonment instead of the death penalty.

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Five convicts sentenced to life

Hussain was convicted under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including those relating to disobedience of a public order, promoting enmity between groups, rioting, rioting with a deadly weapon, unlawful assembly, kidnapping and murder.

Nazir, Asim, Javed and Anas were also convicted under the same provisions.

The case centres on the death of Ankit Sharma, an IB officer who was killed during the violence that broke out in northeast Delhi in February 2020.

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What happened to Ankit Sharma

The case began with a complaint filed by Sharma's father, Ravinder Kumar, on February 26, 2020, a day after his son went missing.

According to the complaint, tensions had been building around Chand Bagh Pulia and Main Karawal Nagar Road, where demonstrations linked to the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests and pro-CAA groups had been taking place.

Ravinder Kumar said the situation had turned violent, with incidents of stone-pelting, brick-batting, arson, firing and other acts of violence reported in the area.

He alleged that Hussain, who was the local municipal councillor at the time, had gathered people at his nearby office.

The complaint alleged that stones and petrol bombs were thrown from the building and that firing also took place from its rooftop.

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Sharma went missing during the violence

According to his father's complaint, Sharma had left home on February 25, 2020, to buy household items.

He did not return for a long time, leaving his family worried. A missing persons complaint was subsequently filed.

The family later received information from local residents that a young man had allegedly been thrown into a drain near the Masjid at Chand Bagh Pulia after being killed.

Sharma's body was eventually recovered from the Khajuri Khas drain near Chand Bagh Pulia.

His father then alleged that his son had been killed by Hussain and people associated with him, who had gathered at the councillor's office during the violence.

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Shehzad Poonawalla questions the verdict

BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla, who recently sparked speculation after announcing his decision to step away from active politics, reacted sharply to the verdict. In a post on X, Poonawalla said Tahir Hussain should have been sentenced to death, questioning why the court chose life imprisonment. 

Referring to the prosecution’s arguments, he said the killing was “cold-blooded” and called for the harshest punishment.

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2020 Delhi riots case

The murder took place against the backdrop of the deadly Delhi riots of February 2020.

Violence broke out in several parts of northeast Delhi during clashes between groups amid protests and counter-protests over the Citizenship Amendment Act.

The unrest resulted in deaths, injuries and widespread damage to homes, shops and other property.

Sharma's killing became one of the major cases arising from the violence.

The prosecution's case focused on Hussain and the four other convicts and their alleged role in the events surrounding Sharma's death.