An FIR has been registered under Section 302 IPC (punishment for murder) on Thursday, 27 February against AAP Councillor Tahir Hussain, ANI reported. Meanwhile, AAP has suspended Hussain from the primary membership of the party till completion of the probe.
The FIR, registered at Dayalpur Police Station against the AAP councillor, comes amid the storm surrounding Hussain over the death of Ankit Sharma, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) official whose body was reportedly recovered from a drain in northeast Delhi’s Chand Bagh on Wednesday.
The complaint was given by Sharma's father, according to PTI.
Meanwhile, on Friday, 28 February, Supreme Court lawyer Alakh Alok Srivastav also filed a complaint with Delhi Police, seeking registration of FIR and immediate arrest of Hussain, ANI reported .
Sharma’s father Ravinder, also an IB employee, has alleged that Hussain’s supporters killed his son, reported NDTV. The councillor has denied any involvement, claiming that his house was broken into and he was rescued by the police.
Videos posted on social media show a man, believed to be Hussain, on the roof of his five-storey building along with some other men who appear to be involved in stone-pelting.
Another video, purportedly of the same building, shows people flinging petrol bombs off the rooftop. Sharma's neighbours also alleged that stones and petrol bombs had been thrown from the building’s roof, according to NDTV.
The Quint hasn’t been able to independently verify the authenticity of these videos.
Take Strict Action: Arvind Kejriwal
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said that any person who is found guilty should be given stringent punishment. At a press briefing on Thursday evening, Kejriwal said, while responding to a question about Hussain, that if any Aam Aadmi Party person is found guilty then that person should be given double the punishment. He added that there should be no politics on the issue of national security.
“Take strict action. If we had police, we would also take strict action. In my opinion, there can be no politics over the security of the nation… Whether from the Aam Aadmi Party or the BJP or the Congress, anyone who has tried to incite violence, who has caused riots, should not be spared… Spare nobody, take strict action against them..If they are guilty, punish them. If somebody from our party is guilty, give them double punishment,” Kejriwal said.
Earlier, BJP MLA Gautam Gambhir had taken to Twitter to hit out at Kejriwal over Hussain, saying that his “silence is deafening”.
‘Mob Entered Building, Climbed Onto Roof’: Hussain
According to Hussain, however, the stones and petrol bombs were flung by rioters who had forcefully entered his building and climbed onto the roof.
In a video posted on Twitter, he says, "The news about me is false. Since Kapil Mishra's hate speech, the situation in Delhi has deteriorated, with stone throwing and violence taking place."
He says he repeatedly asked the police for help before they arrived some hours later and brought the situation under control. He says that the police escorted him from the area and asked him to go somewhere safe.
“I requested (the police) to not remove their forces from the building, otherwise someone could once again take advantage of it.”Tahir Hussain
Hussain claims that the police withdrew from the area the next day and the mob once again climbed to the roof to resume their attacks.
“I am very distressed by what has happened and want you to know that I am a peaceful Indian Muslim and will always work for the country and Hindu-Muslim relations. Please believe me," he says.
'Sad to Hear of IB Officer’s Death, But I Am Not Involved': Hussain
In an interview to ANI, Hussain said that he was very sad to hear about IB Officer Ankit Sharma’s death, but added that he was not involved in the incident. A thorough investigation of the matter should be conducted, he added.
"I am ready for any kind of investigation and to help the Delhi police in this case. I didn't know Ankit Sharma personally but I am saddened by his death. He must get justice", he said.
Hussain confirms that he has not spoken to Arvind Kejriwal on this matter so far.
“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 police for protection. Police came eight hours late and rescued him and his family from his house,” AAP’s Sanjay Singh told ANI.
More than 30 people have died in the communally-charged violence that erupted in northeast Delhi. Most of the injured hail from areas such as Mustafabad, Maujpur, Kardam Puri, and Kabir Nagar, which reeled under violence on Tuesday.
(With inputs from NDTV, ANI and PTI.)
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