Deep rooted conspiracy behind killing of IB officer during Delhi riots, police tells court

Delhi Police on Wednesday filed its charge sheet in a court here in connection with the killing of Intelligence Bureau official, Ankit Sharma, during violence in north-east Delhi asserting that there was a deep rooted conspiracy behind the February riots and his ”murder” as he was “specifically targeted” by a mob led by suspended AAP Councillor Tahir Hussain.

The autopsy revealed that there were 51 sharp injuries on his body, the charge sheet said adding that the way Sharma was killed by the “cold blooded rioters” has shaken the social fabric of the society and instilled a fear in the minds of the residents of the area.

In the 50-page charge sheet, Hussain has been named as one of the main accused along with nine others -- Anas, Firoj, Javed, Gulfam, Shoaib Alam, Salman, Nazeem, Kasim, Sameer Khan for the murder of Sharma.

Two of the accused persons -- Sabir and Musa-- are absconding at present.

All the arrested accused are in jail and they have been charged with various offences for the killing of Sharma by around 20-25 rioters who were equipped with stones, rod, lathi, knife etc.

The charge sheet said they came from the side of Chand Bagh Pulia, caught hold of him on the instigation of Hussain from the political leader’s house and dragged him and beat him to death by inflicting sharp and blunt injuries and after killing him, threw his dead body in the drain.

The dead body was fished out the 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 are seen dumping the dead body in the drain. During post mortem, the doctors found 51 sharp and blunt injuries on Ankit’s body,” the charge sheet said.

The Crime Branch of Delhi police filed the charge sheet before Metropolitan Magistrate Richa Parihar, who fixed the matter for consideration on June 16.

The charge sheet was filed under various sections of the IPC for the offences including murder (302), kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person (365) rioting (147 and 148), 153-A (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race etc) (153-A), criminal conspiracy (120-B) and destruction of evidence (201).

The minimum punishment for the offence of murder is life imprisonment and maximum is death penalty.

The charge sheet said “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, a politician of Aam Aadmi Party and sitting councillor in East Delhi Municipal Corporation, Delhi.It has been found that Tahir Hussain is the main person who had been instigating the mob, both on February 24 and 25, in the Chand Bagh area,” the charge sheet said.

The police have listed 81 witnesses in the chargesheet to buttress its investigation against the accused persons including Hussain.

The chargesheet stated that during investigation, witnesses have stated that on February 25, Sharma had moved ahead from the crowd of Hindu people standing a few distance away from Hussain’s house to pacify the people of both sides.

“The rioters numbered in 20-25, equipped with stones, rod, lathi, danda, knife etc came from the side of Chand Bagh Pulia, caught hold of him on the instigation of Hussain from the political leader’s house and dragged him and beating him to death by inflicting sharp and blunt injuries and after killing him, threw his dead body in the drain,” it said.

“Other accused persons were well known to Hussain as well as to each other and most of them are close relatives to each other and well known to each other prior to these riots. Due to which, meeting of minds took place very quickly and on the basis of logistics support as well as support extended by a public representative like Tahir Hussain involved them to commit heinous offence to the extent of murder of a young IB Officer, namely, Ankit Sharma.

“The 51 sharp injuries on the body of deceased Ankit Sharma caused by sharp edged weapons as well as blunt objects clearly indicates how the cold blooded rioters brutally killed him in furtherance of a well hatched conspiracy. These kinds of incidents have shaken the social fabric of the society and a sense of fear in the mind of the residents of the area, particularly in north-east Delhi and generally all over the country,” it stated.

It added that “during investigation, the blood stained knife used to stab Ankit Sharma and the blood stained clothes of the killer (with Ankit’s blood) were recovered. Another knife used in the crime was also recovered. Tahir Hussain’s licensed pistol was seized in a separate case.”

“An accused Haseen alias Salman was instrumental in the murder of Ankit. He is the person who had assaulted him with a knife. During his interrogation, he revealed that he had heard about the killing of a 4 years old Muslim Boy by a Hindu, he became angry and took a knife and along with his accomplices, Sameer, Kasim, Sabir and others came to Chand Bagh Pulia on February 25,” the police said.

The charge sheet said that “Salman further disclosed that he had stabbed Ankit Sharma a number of times with a knife which he was carrying. His accomplices also stabbed with knife and hit him with dandas and after killing him, threw his dead body in the nala.”