Tahir Hussain admits his role in Delhi violence: Report

Suspended Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain confessed during an interrogation that he incited people to unleash violence in the riots that broke out in North East Delhi in February this year, according to a report by ANI.

Hussain’s task was to collect as much glass, bottle, petrol, acid and stones as possible on his roof, the Delhi Police said.

Hussain said that he met former JNU student Umar Kahlid at the Popular Front of India (PFI) office in Shaheen Bagh on January 8. Hussain’s acquaintance Khalid Saifi was given the task to gather people on the streets for protest.

Delhi riots: Tahir Hussain gave money for purchasing ammunition for “big riot”, police tells court

“Khalid Saifi, along with his friend Ishrat Jahan, first started a dharna demonstration in Khureji on the lines of Shaheen Bagh. On February 4, in Abu Fazal Enclave, I met Khalid Saifi for planning the riots,” Hussain told the police during the interrogation.

During the meeting, it was decided that people sitting for the anti-CAA strike will be provoked, Hussain said. Saifi reportedly told him that something big had to be done at the time of Donald Trump’s visit to bring the government to heel.

Interrogation by the Delhi Police revealed Hussain took his pistol from the police station to use in the violence.

“On February 24, according to our plan, I had called several people and told them to throw stones, petrol bombs, and acid bottles from my roof. I had shifted my family to another place. On February 24 2020, at about 1.30 pm, we started throwing stones,” Hussian told the police.

According to a charge sheet by Delhi Police, Hussain is one of the prime accused in the killing of IB staffer Ankit Sharma, whose body was recovered from a drain in Chand Bagh on February 26 during the 2020 Delhi riots.