Delhi Police has urged the court to award the death penalty to former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and four others convicted in the murder of Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma.
Prosecutors described the killing as exceptionally brutal, citing multiple fatal injuries and alleging that Sharma was stripped and murdered during the violence.
The case stems from the 2020 Delhi riots, in which 53 people were killed and over 500 injured.
Delhi Police Demand Death Penalty For Tahir Hussain For Murder Of IB Officer Ankit Sharma
The public prosecutor argued that the attackers had committed extremely barbaric acts and behaved like executioners in this case and thus a death penalty was fitting
Summary
The Delhi Police has demanded a death penalty for former AAP councilor Tahir Hussain and four others convicted for the murder of Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma during the 2020 Delhi Riots.
According to reports, the public prosecutor argued that the attackers had committed extremely barbaric acts and behaved like executioners in this case. This, according to them, satisfies the rarest of the rare doctrine that courts use for awarding death penalties.
The defense maintains that Hussain has been implicated in a false case.
The Crime
Delhi Police described the crime as extremely brutal, ruthless, and cold blooded.
According to a News18 report, Ankit Sharma's body bore 51 wounds, seven of which were fatal and 16 were caused by sharp-edged weapons. Ankit was brutally murdered after being stripped of his clothes.
The case for the crime was filed at the Dayalpur police station by Sharma's father, Ravinder Kumar.
After Sharma's disappearance on February 25 his body was found in a drain in the Khajuri Khas area.
The court convicted Tahir Hussain, Nazim, Qasim, Anas, and Javed for murder, kidnapping, and inciting a riot, the punishment is still under consideration.
Meanwhile, PTI reported that Tahir Hussain has been sent to jail after the hearing in the Karkardooma Court.
2020 Delhi Riots
The 2020 Delhi riots were among the deadliest episodes of communal violence in the national capital in decades. The violence erupted in northeast Delhi between February 23 and 26, 2020, following weeks of protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Clashes initially broke out between supporters and opponents of the CAA before escalating into widespread communal violence involving arson, stone-pelting, shootings and attacks on homes, shops and places of worship. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, 53 people were killed, over 500 were injured, hundreds of properties were damaged, and more than 700 criminal cases were registered.
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The riots triggered multiple investigations, court proceedings and fact-finding reports, with differing interpretations over their causes, the role of political speeches, police response and whether the violence was spontaneous or premeditated.
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