Former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain was convicted by a Delhi court on Saturday in a case linked to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots in the Dayalpur area. The court acquitted the other 12 accused in the case.
Additional Sessions Judge Praveen Singh convicted Hussain under Section 147 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which deals with rioting, read with Section 109, relating to abetment of an offence. The court has scheduled November 16 for arguments on the quantum of sentence, PTI reported.
The case involved allegations of rioting, theft in a dwelling house and damage to property by fire or explosive substances, among other offences.
ALSO READ: Delhi Riots: 2 Convicts Move Delhi HC Against Life Sentence Verdict In Ankit Sharma Murder Case
Tahir Hussain’s Second Conviction In 2020 Delhi Riots Cases
This is the second conviction of Hussain in connection with the February 2020 northeast Delhi riots. In July, a Delhi court convicted him and four others in a separate case related to the murder of Intelligence Bureau staffer Ankit Sharma.
Sharma was abducted and killed during the riots. Special Public Prosecutor Madhukar Pandey, while arguing in the murder case, said the victim had sustained 51 injuries, including 18 caused by sharp-edged weapons.
“Ankit Sharma was abducted and relentlessly assaulted in a hapless manner. A total of 51 injuries were made upon the victim and 18 of them were through sharp-edged weapons. It is not a case where somebody was stabbed once or thrice,” Pandey said.
He further alleged that the accused continued to assault Sharma even after his death.
“The accused were not human beings, they were animals. They did not have respect for the dead and should therefore be kept behind bars and given the death sentence,” the prosecutor added.
Hussain was sentenced to life imprisonment in the Ankit Sharma murder case. The court had observed that although the crime was brutal, the prosecution had not established that the convicts were beyond reform or that their release after serving their sentences would pose a threat to society.
2020 Northeast Delhi Riots: What Happened?
The riots broke out in northeast Delhi in February 2020, leaving 53 people dead, several others injured, and property worth crores of rupees damaged.
The case against Hussain and the other accused was registered at Dayalpur police station. The FIR was filed following a complaint by Ravinder Kumar, the father of Ankit Sharma.
Hussain was suspended by the AAP after his name emerged in connection with the riots.
The latest verdict relates to a separate case involving alleged rioting and arson in the Dayalpur area. While Hussain has been convicted, the court acquitted the remaining 12 accused in this case.