Tahir Hussain, suspended Aam Aadmi Party leader, accused in the murder of an Intelligence Bureau employee, was arrested today after a Delhi court rejected his plea to surrender. The politician is accused of murder, rioting and arson. But the court refused to accept his request to surrender, saying it was not in its jurisdiction. He was subsequently taken away by the Delhi Police, and is currently being questioned, sources said.
Tahir Hussain was charged after the body of Ankit Sharma was recovered last week from a drain in northeast Delhi’s Jaffrabad, one of the worst-hit areas in the violence over the citizenship law. The police said he was absconding since his name cropped up in the case.
Ankit Sharma, 26, who worked as a Security Assistant with the IB, had gone missing on Tuesday. His family said he was picked up by a mob on his way home from work. His body, bearing multiple stab wounds, was found the next day.
Ankit Sharma’s father, Ravinder Sharma, who also works with the Intelligence Bureau, had accused Tahir Hussain of the murder.
The allegation was seconded by the BJP’s Kapil Mishra, whose rally in support of the Citizenship Amendment Act was linked to the beginning of the violence on February 23.
“The killer is Hussain. In the video, he can be seen with the masked boys carrying sticks, stones, bullets and petrol bombs.