Delhi: Brother of IB man killed in riots gets job with state government

“We can never compensate for the loss of a loved one’s life but I hope this government job and assistance of ₹1 crore brings the family strength. We will continue to stand by them and support them whenever needed,” Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted.

Ankur Sharma, the brother of Intelligence Bureau staffer Ankit Sharma who was killed during the riots in northeast Delhi in February 2020, was on Thursday appointed as a junior assistant in the Delhi government’s education department.

Delhi chief minister handed over the government job certificate to Ankur Sharma, brother of IB employee Ankit Sharma, who lost his life in Delhi riots. They have been posted in the Education Department of Delhi Government, in New Delhi, India, on Thursday, March 17, 2022. (HT Photo)

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal handed the appointment letter to Ankur and met his family as well.

“We can never compensate for the loss of a loved one’s life but I hope this government job and assistance of ₹1 crore brings the family strength. We will continue to stand by them and support them whenever needed,” Kejriwal tweeted.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia was also present during the meeting.

Last year, the Delhi government had provided the family with a one-time financial assistance of ₹1 crore.

“Since my brother died, the Delhi government has supported me and my family at every step. The chief minister provided us with financial assistance. Today [Thursday], I have been offered a government job in the Delhi government. I will always remain indebted to Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and everyone in the Delhi government for looking after our family,” said Ankur after meeting the CM on Thursday.

In March 2021, the Delhi cabinet had approved the proposal to provide Ankur with a government job.

Ankit Sharma’s death during the riots had triggered a political blame game.

Referring to the politics on the issue, Kejriwal tweeted Thursday: “BJP did dirty politics on the death of Ankit Sharma and then they did not bother about his family. We did not do any politics with them, we remained in constant touch with the family and helped them on all occasions.”

The BJP accused the Delhi government and the Aam Aadmi Party of playing politics over the compensation for riot victims.

“It is the constitutional duty of state government to extend a relief package to the families of riot victims without disclosing religion or caste,” said Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor.