AAP leader Tahir Hussain instigated Muslim mob to pelt stones on Hindus which led to murder of Ankit Sharma during Anti-Hindu riots: Court

provoked and started pelting stones on the Hindu community.

Taking cognisance of the charge sheet filed against former AAP leader Tahir Hussain for his involvement in the Delhi Anti-Hindu riots, a Delhi court on Friday said that Muslims turned violent after AAP leader Tahir Hussain had provoked and started pelting stones on the Hindu community.

According to the reports, the court took cognisance of the charge sheet filed by the Delhi police against the former AAP leader for his role in instigating the riots and the brutal murder of IB official Ankit Sharma’s murder during the Anti-Hindu riots in northeast Delhi in February. The court also issued a production warrant against the accused and asked them to be produced through video conference on August 28.

However, the police informed that they are yet to obtain a sanction to charge Hussain and other co-accused in the case from the authorities concerned as required in a sedition case.

Metropolitan Magistrate Purushottam Pathak, however, noted that any delay in proceeding further in the trial will unnecessarily delay and defeat the purpose of constituting special courts for trial of the riot cases.

“I am of the opinion that there is sufficient material on record to take cognisance of the offences alleged to have been committed by accused persons,” the judge said in his order.

Anti-Hindu riots is a well planned conspiracy: Delhi court

Taking cognizance of the charge-sheet filed by the Delhi police, the court observed that the Anti-Hindu Delhi riots took place in a “planned manner” resulting from a “well-hatched conspiracy”. The court said that the riots were allegedly abetted by the leader of the mob, accused Tahir Hussain and other co-accused also acted upon.

The court added, “Accused Tahir Hussain also facilitated them to the rooftop of his building and provided other logistics support with a view that large scale riots maybe there causing the resultant loss to life and the property of the other community.”

The court observed that prima facie the accused Tahir Hussain was leading the mob from his house and also from the Masjid near Chand Bagh Pulia on February 24 and 25. He was instrumental for the gathering of the unlawful assembly in conspiracy with accused persons namely Haseen, Nazim, Kasim, Sameer Khan, Anas, Firoj, Javed, Gulfam and Shoaib Alam, having common intention and unlawful object, the court said.

“He provoked and instigated his community against the other community with a view to promote enmity on the grounds of religion between Hindus and Muslims claiming that Hindu people have killed a number of Muslims and have set their shops on fire att Sherpur Chowk and they should not let any Hindu go scot free. On his provocation/instigation, the Muslims turned violent and became volatile on 24.02.2020 and 25.02.2020 and started burning ships and pelting stones and petrol bombs on Hindu community and also targeted their houses situated in that locality. Thereupon, the uncontrolled mob turned into rioters and in process of rioting, caught hold of Ankit Sharma and ragged him to Chand Bagh Pulia and caused his death by inflicting multiple injuries using sharp objects/weapons in a brutal manner and with a view to conceal evidence, all of them in furtherance of there common intention, threw his dead body in the drain”, said the Court.

Portion of the court order (Image Source: Journalist Jitendra Sharma)
The court also said Hussain provoked and instigated his community, promoting enmity on the grounds of religion between Hindus and Muslims claiming that Hindu people have killed a number of Muslims, set their shops on fire at Sherpur Chowk and they should not let any Hindus getaway.

Most significantly, the Court said that “There is sufficient material on record to take cognisance of the offences alleged to have been committed by accused person”.

Muslim mob led by Tahir, killed Ankit Sharma
The charge-sheet mentioned that the mob led by Tahir Hussain came from the side of Chand Bagh Pulia, caught hold of IB officer Ankit Sharma and dragged him, beat him to death and threw his body in the drain.

In the charge sheet, Hussain is named as the main accused along with nine others — Anas, Firoj, Javed, Gulfam, Shoaib Alam, Salman, Nazeem, Kasim, Sameer Khan for the murder of Sharma.

The post-mortem report had stated that the Muslim mob had killed Ankit Sharma with sharp objects after 51 stab injuries were found on his body. The charge sheet said Sharma was killed by the cold-blooded rioters, which had shaken the social fabric of the society and instilled a fear in the minds of the residents of the area.f

Tahir Hussain, the Aam Admi Party (AAP) councillor who involved in the organisation and execution of the Delhi Riots. In the charge-sheets filed by the Delhi Police and the Special Cell, it is revealed that Tahir Hussain met Umar Khalid and Khalid Saifi of ‘India Against Hate’ group and hatched a plan for the Delhi riots way back on the 8th of January. This meeting was held at Shaheen Bagh where the anti-CAA protests were taking place.

The charge sheets also say that Tahir Hussain got money to organise these riots from several quarters in shell companies. In another disclosure, it was reported that Khalid Saifi had even travelled to Malaysia to meet Islamist Zakir Naik to collect funds for the Delhi Riots.

In his disclosure statement, Tahir Hussain details how he organised the riots to take revenge against Hindus and teach ‘Kafirs’ a lesson. He further talks about making PCR calls in between the riots to ensure that he had a solid alibi. Further, he also reveals how he had organised for thousands of Muslims to congregate in the Chand Bagh area to carry out the riots.