On Thursday, a Delhi Court framed charges against a former Municipal Councillor and 10 others in connection with the murder of Ankit Sharma during the North East Delhi riots. Ankit Sharma was an employee of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), and the case was filed by his father. Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala ordered the framing of charges against accused individuals, including Mohd. Tahir Hussain, Haseen alias Mullaji alias Salman, Nazim, Kasim, Sameer Khan, Anas, Firoz, Javed, Gulfam, Shoib Alam alias Bobby and Muntajim alias Musa.
The judge directed the charges to be framed under conspiracy, murder, kidnapping, rioting, unlawful assembly, and promoting enmity between groups, along with other sections. The accused individuals are also liable to be tried for offences punishable under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The court observed that the evidence showed that the mob was acting in a premeditated manner to attack Hindus and their properties, indicating that there was a prior meeting of their minds. Tahir Hussain was found to have played a role in inciting the mob to kill Hindus and to exhort the mob to not spare Hindus. The judge noted that the conspiracy did not need to be specific to Ankit’s murder but that it covered his killing because he was Hindu.
The evidence presented in the case showed that a large number of people had assembled around Tahir Hussain’s house, with some equipped with firearms and petrol bombs. Mountain Dew bottles were being filled with petrol near the house of Tahir Hussain and taken inside, in his presence. Tahir Hussain was found to be continuously acting in a supervisory and motivating role towards the mob.
The prosecution alleged that on February 26, 2020, the FIR was registered at PS Dayalpur on the complaint of Ankit Sharma’s father, Ravinder Kumar. The complaint alleged that there had been demonstrations by both Anti-CAA and Pro-CAA protesters for two to three days at Chand Bagh Pulia, Main Karawal Nagar Road, during which there were incidents of stone-pelting, brick-batting, arson, firing, and sabotage from both sides.
The complainant alleged that Mohd. Tahir, who was a Municipal Councillor at the time, had gathered a lot of goons in his office at Main Karawal Nagar Road, near Chand Bagh Pulia. The mob had allegedly pelted stones, petrol bombs, and shots from the rooftop of Tahir Hussain’s building/office, creating an atmosphere of fear among the public.
The complainant further alleged that on February 25, 2020, Ankit Sharma, who was posted at the Intelligence Bureau, had gone out of the house to bring some household goods at around 05:00 PM. When he did not return after a long time, his father searched for him in nearby places, hospitals, etc., but could not find him. After waiting overnight, he lodged a missing report on February 26, 2020, and was informed by local boys that a boy had been thrown into the Khajuri Khas Nala from the Masjid of Chand Bagh Pulia after being killed.
The body of Ankit Sharma was recovered from Khajuri Khas Nala near Chand Bagh Pulia. The clothes of Ankit Sharma were found torn and were seized by the police. The post-mortem report revealed that there were multiple injuries on his body, indicating that he was beaten to death.
Overall, the court’s decision to frame charges against the accused individuals highlights the seriousness of the allegations and underscores the need for justice to be served.