Delhi riots: Murder-accused, suspended AAP leader Tahir Hussain gets arrested
Expelled AAP leader Tahir Hussain, who is an accused in the murder case of Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma, was on Thursday arrested after a Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court rejected his surrender plea. AAP showed Hussain the door after his name was linked to Sharma's murder case and he was accused of aiding violence. However, he claimed innocence. Here are more details
The riots sparked after a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) turned violent. Nearly 50 people lost their lives, hundreds were injured, and property worth lakhs was damaged. Hussain's name cropped up after a video showed rioters throwing explosives from the terrace of his house. He was absconding after the clip gained attention but had revealed recently that he would surrender.
+ This is a video shared by a local resident. The house on the left belongs to Hussain. One can see mob on its rooftop throwing stones and petrol bombs all over pic.twitter.com/9uDBEZBXOn
— Rahul Pandita (@rahulpandita) February 26, 2020
On Tuesday, Hussain had moved a Delhi court requesting an anticipatory bail, but the matter was listed for yesterday. Earlier, in a conversation with India Today, he lamented the death of Sharma but claimed he had nothing to do with the violence. "My family and I ran away from rioters and the police were also informed about it," he said.
As days passed, harrowing details about Sharma's death surfaced. The 26-year-old, who worked as a Security Assistant with IB, was stabbed multiple times, and his body was found from a drain near his home. "The mob that snatched and killed my brother was operating from Hussain's house," Sharma's brother Ankur said. On the basis of the complaint of his family, police registered an FIR.
"I worked to stop violence, I'm innocent. I stopped people from climbing up my building. On February 24, police conducted a search of my building and moved us out from there. Later, we shifted to a safe location," he had said earlier.
In court today, Hussain claimed he was on the run as he was scared. He said he was ready for a narco test too, and added the camera installed near his home should be investigated to reveal the truth. To note, his lawyer Mukesh Kalia had moved a surrender plea before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Vishal Pahuja.
In one of his first reactions to the violence, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, "If any Aam Aadmi Party person is found guilty then that person should be given double the punishment. There should be no politics on the issue of national security." His government announced Rs. 1 crore compensation for Sharma's family and promised a job to one of his family members.
अंकित शर्मा IB के जाँबाज़ अधिकारी थे। दंगो में उनका नृशंस तरीक़े से क़त्ल कर दिया गया। देश को उन पर नाज़ है। दिल्ली सरकार ने तय किया है कि उनके परिवार को 1 करोड़ की सम्मान राशि और उनके परिवार के एक व्यक्ति को नौकरी देंगे। भगवान उनकी आत्मा को शांति दें।
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) March 2, 2020
