New Delhi, July 13 (IANS) A Delhi court on Monday convicted former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain and four others for the murder of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Ankit Sharma during the 2020 North-East Delhi riots, while acquitting six co-accused in the case.

The Karkardooma Court held Hussain guilty under Sections 302 (murder), 365 (kidnapping or abducting with intent to secretly and wrongfully confine a person), 188 (disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with a deadly weapon) and 149 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Apart from Hussain, the court convicted four other accused — Javed, Anas, Nazim and Kasim — for the murder of Sharma.

The court, however, acquitted all the convicted accused of the charge of criminal conspiracy under Section 120B of the IPC. The court acquitted six other accused persons, holding that the prosecution had failed to establish their guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

The quantum of sentence is yet to be decided, with the court fixing a later date for hearing arguments on sentencing. The case relates to the killing of IB officer Ankit Sharma, whose body was recovered from a drain in the Khajuri Khas area on February 26, 2020, amid the communal violence that rocked North-East Delhi.

According to the prosecution, Hussain and the co-accused formed part of an unlawful assembly that abducted and murdered Sharma during the riots. An FIR was registered on February 26, 2020, in response to a complaint lodged by Sharma’s father, Ravinder Kumar.

He alleged that his son had left home on February 25 to purchase household items but did not return.

He later learnt from residents that a youth had been thrown into the Khajuri Khas drain from the Chand Bagh area, following which Sharma’s body was recovered from the drain.

The complainant alleged that Hussain and his associates were responsible for the murder of his son. Last week, the Karkardooma Court had deferred the pronouncement of its verdict from July 7 to July 13.

In March 2023, the trial court had framed charges against 11 accused, including Hussain, for offences including rioting, promoting enmity between different groups, murder and criminal conspiracy.

At the stage of framing of charges, the court had also recorded the prosecution’s submission that Hussain had incited the mob to target Hindus and exhorted them to “not spare them”.

Earlier, the Delhi High Court had dismissed Hussain’s plea seeking bail in the case after considering the allegations and the material placed on record.

–IANS

pds/dan