2022 Delhi Riots case: Ex-AAP councillor Tahir Hussain convicted for murder of IB officer Ankit Sharma

The Karkardooma Court found Hussain guilty of multiple offences, including promoting enmity, rioting, assault, use of criminal force and murder.

Hussain had been suspended by the Aam Aadmi Party after his name surfaced during the investigation into the case.

Alongside Hussain, the court convicted four co-accused—Javed, Anas, Nazim and Kasim—for Sharma's murder.

Six accused acquitted

The court acquitted six other accused, ruling that the prosecution had failed to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

The court has not yet pronounced the sentence and has scheduled a separate hearing to decide the quantum of punishment.

Reacting to the verdict, Hussain's counsel, Abdul Gaffar, said they would "appeal against the court verdict".

Prosecution's case

According to the prosecution, Hussain and the co-accused were part of an unlawful assembly that abducted and murdered Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma during the communal violence that engulfed northeast Delhi in February 2020.

During the stage of framing charges, the prosecution had also submitted before the court that Hussain had allegedly incited the mob to target Hindus and urged them to "not spare them".

Earlier, the Delhi High Court had dismissed Hussain's bail plea after examining the allegations and the evidence placed on record.

Recovery of Ankit Sharma's body

Investigators later recovered Sharma's body from a drain.

According to the prosecution, acid had been used to burn his face and other parts of his body in an alleged attempt to conceal his identity.

Complaint filed by victim's father

The case was registered on February 26, 2020, based on a complaint lodged by Ravinder Kumar, the victim's father.

In his complaint, Kumar alleged that anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and pro-CAA protesters had been demonstrating for two to three days at Chand Bagh Pulia on Main Karawal Nagar Road.

He claimed that clashes between the two groups involved stone-pelting, brick-batting, arson, firing and acts of vandalism from both sides.

He further alleged that Mohd. Tahir, then a municipal councillor, operated an office near Chand Bagh Pulia on Main Karawal Nagar Road, where he had assembled a large group of men.

According to the complaint, stones and petrol bombs were thrown and gunshots were fired from the rooftop of Hussain's office building, creating fear among local residents.

Events leading to murder probe

Ravinder Kumar stated that his son, Ankit Sharma, returned home from work on February 25, 2020, before leaving again at around 5 pm to purchase household items.

When Sharma did not return, his family searched nearby localities and hospitals.

After an overnight search, Kumar filed a missing person's report on February 26, 2020, at 11.41 am.

The complaint further stated that local residents later informed the family that Sharma's body had allegedly been thrown into the Khajuri Khas drain after he was killed near the Chand Bagh Pulia mosque.

The investigation subsequently led to the registration of the murder case, culminating in Monday's conviction by the Karkardooma Court.