IB staffer murder during Delhi riots a ‘chilling act of defiance’, HC told

A bench of justice Neena Bansal Krishna reserved the verdict in former municipal councillor Tahir Hussain’s petition seeking bail

New Delhi

Tahir Hussain approached the Delhi High Court against a city court’s March 12 order rejecting his bail. (Representative photo)

The murder of Intelligence Bureau (IB) staffer Ankit Sharma during the northeast Delhi riots was intended as a chilling act of defiance against the security forces, the Delhi Police told the Delhi High Court on Wednesday.

Even as a bench of justice Neena Bansal Krishna reserved the verdict in former municipal councillor Tahir Hussain’s petition seeking bail in Sharma’s murder case, the police, represented by Special Public Prosecutor Rajat Nair and advocate Dhruv Pande, submitted that it had evidence to show how Hussain, along with other accused, caught and dragged Ankit Sharma before stabbing him 51 times and dumping his body in a nearby drain, while he was trying to de-escalate the situation.

Nair further contended that multiple eyewitnesses had identified Hussain at the scene, raising incendiary slogans and inciting the mob. He also contended that, due to Hussain’s significant influence in his locality, granting him bail could lead to witness intimidation or interference with the evidence.

The former councillor approached the Delhi High Court against a city court’s March 12 order rejecting his bail. In its 10-page order, judge Pulastya Pramachala opined that the failure of three public witnesses to identify Hussain did not wash away or mellow down the evidence of other witnesses, including public witnesses.

Hussain’s petition in the high court painted a picture that the trial court disregarded the aspect of eight co-accused being released on bail and failed to consider the account of eyewitnesses who have absolved him from the prosecution’s allegations.

It went on to add that he had already spent almost five years in jail and that the prosecution had examined all the public witnesses related to the murder case.

During the hearing, Nair contended that Hussain was not a passive bystander but an active leader, orchestrator, and participant in a calculated act of communal violence. He claimed this could be demonstrated by Hussain’s actions—fortifying his terrace, stockpiling weapons, and relocating his family before the riots—indicating premeditation and direct involvement.

Sharma’s body was found in a drain near his home in northeast Delhi’s Chand Bagh area on February 26, 2020, a day after he had gone missing after the riots broke out.

Following the probe, the police had charged Hussain under sections of murder, rioting, criminal conspiracy, dacoity, promoting religious enmity and the Arms Act. A charge sheet was filed in the case in June 2020. In March 2023, a city court framed charges against Hussain and 10 other people.