'Expelled him long ago': Kejriwal distances himself from Tahir Hussain after his conviction in IB officer's murder
“We expelled him from AAP long long back. Didn’t he join one of the Chanda Chor Party’s sister organizations?" Arvind Kejriwal said.
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Over six years after Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma was killed during the northeast Delhi riots, a Delhi court on Monday, July 13, found former Aam Aadmi Party councillor Tahir Hussain and four others guilty in the murder case, while clearing six other accused due to insufficient evidence.
Courtroom accounts indicate Hussain broke down in tears once the verdict was announced. The case originated from an FIR filed at the Dayalpur police station by Ravinder Kumar, Ankit Sharma's father. Per the complaint, Sharma had come home from work on February 25, 2020, then left again later. When he failed to return, his family launched a search.
Hussain faced further charges relating to abetment and making statements likely to incite public mischief. Responding to the verdict, former Delhi Police Special Commissioner Satish Golchha, who had overseen the probe into the 2020 riots, said the ruling vindicated the investigation's credibility.
He further stated, "We remain committed to bringing all those responsible for crimes committed during the 2020 riots to justice through the due process of law." Sharma's murder occurred amid the communal violence that broke out in northeast Delhi in February 2020, triggered by protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
The unrest, characterised by stone-pelting, arson, and vandalism, claimed 53 lives and left many injured, ranking among the deadliest bouts of violence witnessed in the capital in recent times. This verdict stands as one of the most significant judicial outcomes to emerge from cases tied to the 2020 Delhi riots. The court will determine the sentence at a later date.
Additional Sessions Judge Praveen Singh, presiding over the trial involving 11 accused, convicted Hussain along with Nazim, Kasim, Javed, and Anas. Hussain was held guilty on counts including murder, promoting enmity between religious communities, rioting, and using assault or criminal force to dishonour a person. The conspiracy charge against him, however, did not hold up.
Notably, immediately after the conviction, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal distanced himself from Hussain, saying, “We expelled him from AAP long long back. Didn’t he join one of the Chanda Chor Party’s sister organizations?"
Courtroom accounts indicate Hussain broke down in tears once the verdict was announced. The case originated from an FIR filed at the Dayalpur police station by Ravinder Kumar, Ankit Sharma's father. Per the complaint, Sharma had come home from work on February 25, 2020, then left again later. When he failed to return, his family launched a search.
Neighbours subsequently told the family that Sharma had been killed and his body dumped in the Khajuri Khas drain near a mosque in the Chand Bagh Pulia area. His body was eventually pulled from the drain. Ravinder Kumar's complaint accused then-AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and others of murdering his son, alleging the group had assembled at Hussain's office before the killing and later got rid of the body. Along with Hussain, the court convicted Nazim, Kasim, Javed, and Anas, while acquitting six others for lack of adequate evidence.
IB official Ankit Sharma murder case: Delhi's Karkardooma court convicted Tahir Hussain in Ankit Sharma murder case and other offences rioting etc. Criminal Conspiracy has been dropped against him.
— ANI (@ANI) July 13, 2026
Ankit Sharma was murdered during the North East Delhi riots of 2020.
The court… pic.twitter.com/6wMADxZ1pw
The 11 people accused in the case were Tahir Hussain, Haseen alias Mullaji alias Salman, Nazim, Kasim, Sameer Khan, Anas, Firoz, Javed, Gulfam, Shoaib Alam alias Bobby, and Muntajim alias Musa. On March 24, 2023, the court had framed charges against all 11 under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, covering rioting, rioting with deadly weapons, promoting enmity between groups, murder, and criminal conspiracy.
Hussain faced further charges relating to abetment and making statements likely to incite public mischief. Responding to the verdict, former Delhi Police Special Commissioner Satish Golchha, who had overseen the probe into the 2020 riots, said the ruling vindicated the investigation's credibility.
"During the Delhi riots, our primary responsibility was to maintain law and order and ensure a fair, impartial and evidence-based investigation. Every effort was made to collect credible evidence and bring those responsible before the law," Golchha told reporters. "With the court delivering its judgment, I feel satisfied that the hard work and professionalism of the investigating team have stood the test of judicial scrutiny."
He further stated, "We remain committed to bringing all those responsible for crimes committed during the 2020 riots to justice through the due process of law." Sharma's murder occurred amid the communal violence that broke out in northeast Delhi in February 2020, triggered by protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
The unrest, characterised by stone-pelting, arson, and vandalism, claimed 53 lives and left many injured, ranking among the deadliest bouts of violence witnessed in the capital in recent times. This verdict stands as one of the most significant judicial outcomes to emerge from cases tied to the 2020 Delhi riots. The court will determine the sentence at a later date.