Intelligence Bureau staffer Ankit Sharma, who was found dead during the riots in North-East Delhi in February this year, was stabbed 51 times, the Delhi Police’s Crime Branch said in its chargesheet filed on Wednesday.
The chargesheet was filed in the Karkardooma trial court under Section 153-A/505/365/302/ 201/ 120-B/34 of the IPC.
The chargesheet reads: “Ankit Sharma was murdered outside former AAP leader Tahir Hussain’s house in Khajuri Khas area on 25 February. After killing Ankit Sharma, the mob had thrown his dead body in a nearby drain. The body was fished out from the drain next day in the morning. A witness standing on a terrace had captured a video on his mobile phone, in which a group of persons is seen dumping the body in the drain. During post-mortem, the doctors found 51 sharp and blunt injuries on Ankit Sharma’s body.”
Ten people, including suspended Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain, were arrested in this case.
The chargesheet adds, “Ten persons, including Tahir Hussain, were arrested in this case. Investigation has revealed that there was a deep-rooted conspiracy behind the riot and murder of Ankit Sharma, who was a familiar face in the area. He was specifically targeted by a mob led by Tahir Hussain. It has been found that Tahir Hussain is the main person who had been instigating the mob, both on 24 and 25 February, in the Chand Bagh area. Chargesheet against him, in another riot case of 24 February, was filed on Tuesday by the Crime Branch. During investigation, the blood-stained knife used to stab Ankit Sharma and the blood-stained clothes of the killer (with Ankit Sharma’s blood) were recovered. Another knife used in the crime was also recovered. Tahir Hussain’s licensed pistol was seized in a separate case.”
The police had filed two chargesheets on Tuesday in connection with two separate cases registered during the communal rioting. The second chargesheet was filed in the case of Rajdhani School violence incident on 24 February. The chargesheet has been filed under Section 147/148/149/153-A 307/395/436/455/120B/34 of IPC and Section 25/27 of Arms Act. This case was registered on 5 March on the complaint of the owner and manager of DRP Convent Public School, which is adjacent to the Rajdhani School, Shiv Vihar, New Mustafabad, in Delhi.
Rioters allegedly camped inside, fired bullets, threw petrol bombs, acid, bricks, stones and other missiles, using an improvised specially installed large iron catapult from the terrace of Rajdhani School. Police claimed that the rioters used ropes to climb down from the terrace of Rajdhani School into the compound of DRP Convent School, and then had set the school on fire. Computers and other expensive items were looted from DRP Convent School, and the decamping rioters also set ablaze a building across the road.
They had also burned down a building belonging to Anil Sweets, which stood right in front of Rajdhani School, on the other side of the road. Dilbar Negi, an employee with a sweet shop in the burning building, was trapped inside, and his charred body was recovered later. Eighteen persons, including Faisal Farooque, the owner of Rajdhani School, have been arrested in this case.
During investigation, police has found that Faisal Farooque hatched a conspiracy to precipitate and aggravate riots, in and around Rajdhani School. On his instructions, the adjacent and rival DRP Convent School, two parking lots run by the other party and the building of Anil Sweets were systematically destroyed by the mob. This was concluded by the police on the basis of statements by witnesses, including guards at DRP School and Rajdhani School. Faisal’s call details and links with prominent members of Popular Front of India, Pinjra Tod Group, Jamia Coordination Committee, Hazrat Nizamuddin Markaz and other fundamental Muslim clerics have also come to light.