Photo: IANS
New Delhi: More than six years after the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, a Delhi court on Friday sentenced former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and four others to life imprisonment for the murder of Intelligence Bureau staffer Ankit Sharma, marking the first murder conviction to result in a life sentence in a case arising from the violence.
According to the prosecution, violence had erupted around Chand Bagh bridge on the Karawal Nagar road in February 2020, when groups protesting the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and opposing groups allegedly clashed, leading to stone pelting, arson, firing and vandalism, The New Indian Express reported.
Ankit Sharma, who was serving with the Intelligence Bureau, reportedly left his home around 5 pm on February 25, 2020, to buy household items while prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC were in force across northeast Delhi. When he did not return, his father, Ravinder Sharma, searched nearby areas, hospitals and other locations before filing a missing person's complaint at Dayalpur Police Station.
Sharma's body was later recovered from the Chand Bagh drain with multiple injuries allegedly caused by sharp-edged weapons. The body was sent to GTB Hospital for a post-mortem examination, following which an FIR was registered.
The court convicted Hussain along with Javed, Anas, Kasim and Nazim, and sentenced all five to life imprisonment.
The verdict comes as several other riot-related trials remain pending, while many have ended in acquittals due to concerns over the quality of the investigation and evidence. The judgment has also renewed focus on pending cases related to the remaining 52 riot deaths.
Before this ruling, only one person had been convicted in a riot-related death case under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) in 2024. Several murder trials connected to the riots have ended in acquittals, with special courts repeatedly criticising the investigation, citing unreliable witnesses and allegedly fabricated evidence.
Speaking after the sentencing, Hussain maintained his innocence and alleged that the outcome had been predetermined. He said he was confident that justice would be delivered by the High Court.
Among the major cases still pending before designated courts is the prosecution relating to the death of Head Constable Ratan Lal, who was killed while on duty in Maujpur during the violence. Charges have been framed in all the pending riot prosecutions. In recent months, trial courts have acquitted several accused in riot-related murder cases, citing unreliable witnesses and significant inconsistencies in the prosecution's evidence.