On Thursday (March 23), the Karkardooma court in Delhi framed murder and conspiracy charges against Aam Aadmi Party leader Tahir Hussain and ten others for the murder of Intelligence Bureau official Ankit Sharma during the 2020 anti-Hindu Delhi riots.
They were charged under sections 147, 148, 153A, 302, 365, 120B, 149 & 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Tahir Hussain was additionally booked under IPC Sections 104,109 and 505.
While framing the charges, the court noted, “Tahir was continuously acting in a manner of supervising & motivating this mob. All these things were done to target Hindus. Every member of the mob assembled there participated in achieving the objective of targeting Hindus.”
JustIn: #DelhiCourt frames #Murder Charges against Former @AamAadmiParty Councilor #TahirHussain & 10 others for killing of an IB Officer namely, Ankit Sharma, in the northeast #DelhiRiots2020. pic.twitter.com/1LSNk0NwVs
— LawBeat (@LawBeatInd) March 23, 2023
When the role of Tahir Hussain first emerged in the immediate aftermath of the Delhi riots, the cabal of left-liberals dismissed all evidence against him and tried to paint him as a victim of Hindu majoritarianism. Leading the pack of wolves was Washington Post ‘columnist’ Rana Ayyub.
In a tweet, she claimed (archive), “Tahir Hussain arrested. Kapil Mishra gets Y plus security, Anurag Thakur is free, no one seeking accountability from Amit Shah, and Modi is being celebrated. We call this majority privilege.”
Tahir Hussain arrested. Kapil Mishra gets Y plus security, Anurag Thakur is free, no one seeking accountability from Amit Shah, Modi is being celebrated. We call this majority privilege https://t.co/GOyFzkUddz
— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) March 6, 2020
‘Journalist’ Rajdeep Sardesai resorted to ‘monkey balancing’ and lamented how everyone was fixated only on the brutal murder of IB officer Ankit Sharma by Tahir Hussain and his aides.
He tweeted (archive), “35 people have died in riots till now; but for RW Internet army, only Ankit Sharma matters because needle of suspicion is on AAP councillor, Tahir Hussain. The day we seek justice for each and every innocent victim of riots, Hindu or Muslim, we will build a ‘new’ better India!”
35 people have died in riots till now; but for RW Internet army, only Ankit Sharma matters because needle of suspicion is on AAP councillor, Tahir Hussain. The day we seek justice for each and every innocent victim of riots, Hindu or Muslim, we will build a ‘new’ better India!
— Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) February 27, 2020
‘Filmmaker’ Anurag Kashyap also tried to give a clean chit to Tahir Hussain in June 2020.
In a tweet (archive), he wrote, “Claim by Delhi Police: Conspiracy of Riots hatched on Jan 8 by Umar Khalid, Khalid Saifi & Tahir Hussain to coincide with Trump’s Feb visit. Fact: News that Trump may come to India was first announced tentatively only on 13 Jan.”
Claim by Delhi Police: conspiracy of Riots hatched on Jan 8 by @UmarKhalidJNU, @KSaifi
— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) June 12, 2020
& Tahir Hussain to coincide with Trump’s Feb visit.
Fact: News that Trump may come to India was first announced tentatively only on 13 Jan
Similarly, Bollywood singer and former AAP leader, Vishal Dadlani, claimed that Tahir Hussain was being falsely implicated in the Antii-Hindu Delhi riots cases. He cast aspersions on the AAP councillor’s arrest by suggesting that he called the police at the time of violence.
“Let’s be very clear. Tahir Hussain is the guy that “they” are trying to blame for rioting and violence. Many of you have also bought that narrative. BUT…ask yourself…why would HE call the Police 5 times? Let the public hear those calls!! That will clarify a LOT!” he said in a tweet (archive).
Let’s be very clear. Tahir Hussain is the guy that “they” are trying to blame for rioting and violence. Many of you have also bought that narrative.
— VISHAL DADLANI (@VishalDadlani) March 7, 2020
BUT…ask yourself…why would HE call the Police 5 times?
Let the public hear those calls!! That will clarify a LOT! https://t.co/HqKHhti806
The ‘phone call to police’ alibi was also used by ‘entitled journalist‘ Sakshi Joshi to claim the innocence of the AAP leader. She tweeted (archive), “So what #TahirHussain claimed that he called cops and they rescued him was true! Police is accepting his claim!”
So what #TahirHussain claimed that he called cops and they rescued him was true ! Police is accepting his claim! https://t.co/YdC2f28L8w
— Sakshi Joshi (@sakshijoshii) March 3, 2020
Her husband, Vinod Kapri, used the same line of argument to cast aspersions on Tahir Hussain’s role in the Delhi riots.
In a tweet (archive), he wrote, “The video was shot during the riots. If he was involved in the violence, then, why did he keep calling the police home? A police investigation has revealed that Tahir called them several times.”
वीडियो तो दंगों के वक्त का ही है , ये साफ है।ताहिर दंगों में शामिल था तो वो बार बार पुलिस को अपने घर क्यों बुला रहा थ ? पुलिस ने भी तस्दीक़ की है कि ताहिर के कई बार फ़ोन आए थे। https://t.co/arWi4JOhGF
— Vinod Kapri (@vinodkapri) February 27, 2020
‘Journalist’ Arfa Khanum Sherwani attempted to downplay the severity of crimes committed by Tahir Hussain, and painted him as a law-abiding citizen in a ‘fixed’ interview.
On March 5, 2020, she said in a tweet (archive), “Surrender plea rejected by the court. Tahir Hussain is arrested by Delhi Police. Have full faith in the justice system of my country…Am surrendering before the court today. Tahir Hussain told this to The Wire this morning.”
Surrender plea rejected by the court.
— Arfa Khanum Sherwani (@khanumarfa) March 5, 2020
Tahir Hussain is arrested by Delhi Police.
“Have full faith in the justice system of my country…Am surrendering before the court today.”
Tahir Hussain told this to @thewire_in this morning
Watch full interview herehttps://t.co/ldXjssoJwa
In the aftermath of the deadly Delhi riots, lyricist Javed Akhtar cried foul over the sealing of the house of Tahir Hussian and suggested that the police action was motivated by the accused’s Faith.
In a tweet (archive), he wrote, “So many killed, so many injured, so many houses burned, so many shops looted so many people turned destitute but police has sealed only one house and looking for his owner. Incidentally, his name is Tahir. Hats off to the consistency of the Delhi police .”
So many killed , so many injured , so many house burned , so many shops looted so many people turned destitutes but police has sealed only one house and looking for his owner . Incidentally his name is Tahir . Hats off to the consistency of the Delhi police .
— Javed Akhtar (@Javedakhtarjadu) February 27, 2020
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA, Amanatullah Khan, had also defended Tahir Hussain and played the ‘religion card’ in the hopes of scoring political brownie points. In a tweet (archive), he wrote, “Tahir Hussain is innocent, BJP is implicating Tahir Hussain in a false case to save its leaders and defame Aam Aadmi Party.”
ताहिर हुसैन बेक़ुसूर है बीजेपी अपने नेताओं बचाने के लिऐ और आम आदमी पार्टी को बदनाम करने के लिए ताहिर हुसैन को झूठे केस में फसा रही है।
— Amanatullah Khan AAP (@KhanAmanatullah) February 27, 2020
“Today Tahir Hussain is serving the sentence just because he is a Muslim. Perhaps the biggest crime in India today is being a Muslim, it is also possible that in the coming times, it will be proved that Delhi violence was done by Tahir Hussain,” he claimed in another tweet (archive).
आज ताहिर हुसैन सिर्फ़ इस बात की सज़ा काट रहा है की वो एक मुस्लिम है। शायद आज हिंदुस्तान में सबसे बड़ा गुनाह मुस्लिम होना है ये भी होसकता है आने वाले वक्त में ये साबित करदिया जाए कि दिल्ली की हिंसा ताहिर हुसैन ने कराई है।
— Amanatullah Khan AAP (@KhanAmanatullah) March 7, 2020
In February 2020, AAP leader Sanjay Singh appeared before the media to defend Tahir Hussain and claimed that the accused AAP councillor was supposedly calling the police.
In a statement, Singh claimed, “Tahir Hussain has already given his statement in which he said that he gave all details to police and media about mob entering his house during the violence. He had asked the police for protection. The police came eight hours late and rescued him and his family from his house.”
He further alleged, “The police helped him and (his) family to get out of his house. They were not there for 2 days. When they were not in the house, the question on stones and all should not arise at all.”
Sanjay Singh had blamed the police instead of Tahir Hussain for supposedly not taking action to stop the anti-Hindu riots. He claimed, “Police action did not happen in time, it is definitely a serious mistake, why it was late, who said it was the subject of investigation.”
Role of Tahir Hussain in Delhi riots
OpIndia had earlier reported how Tahir Hussain had confessed in a disclosure statement that he chose his own house as a launchpad for the riots. Given that his house was a high-rise building and was under construction at that time, it was easy to collect stones and bricks without raising any suspicion.
While gearing up for the riots and collecting ammunition to teach Hindus a lesson, Tahir Hussain instructed his supporters to be “ready for anything and in every manner” and also ensure that all the CCTV cameras in the area were broken (so the evidence of the riots could not be captured).
