India
pti-PTI
A
court
here
on
Thursday
framed
charges
for
several
offences,
including
abduction
and
murder,
against
AAP
leader
Tahir
Hussain
and
10
others
in
connection
with
the
alleged
murder
of
Intelligence
Bureau
officer
Ankit
Sharma
during
the
2020
northeast
Delhi
riots.
Additional
Sessions
Judge
Pulastya
Pramachala
was
hearing
the
case
registered
at
the
Dayalpur
Police
Station
against
11
accused,
including
Hussain,
on
the
complaint
lodged
by
the
officer’s
father.
Sharma’s
body
was
recovered
from
Khajuri
Khas
drain
near
the
Chand
Bagh
pulia.
“I
find
that
accused
persons
namely
Mohd
Tahir
Hussain,
Haseen,
Nazim,
Kasim,
Sameer
Khan,
Anas,
Firoz,
Javed,
Gulfam,
Shoib
Alam
and
Muntajim
are
liable
to
be
tried
for
an
offence
punishable
under
section
120
B
(criminal
conspiracy)
IPC
read
with
sections
147
(rioting
)
148
(rioting,
armed
with
a
deadly
weapon)
and
153A
(punishment
for
promoting
enmity
between
groups
on
the
ground
of
religion
etc)
and
302
(murder)
of
the
IPC,”
the
judge
said.
They
are
also
liable
to
be
tried
under
sections
for
kidnapping
and
wrongful
confinement,
the
judge
added.
All
accused,
except
Muntajim,
were
put
on
trial
for
the
offences
under
sections
153
A
of
the
IPC
read
with
120B
and
149
IPC,
the
judge
said,
adding,
Haseen
and
Nazim
are
also
liable
to
be
tried
for
the
offence
under
the
provision
of
the
Arms
Act.
According
to
Special
Public
Prosecutor
Madhukar
Pandey,
a
witness
had
captured
a
video
of
the
throwing
of
a
dead
body
in
the
drain
and
the
call
detail
records
(CDR)
of
all
accused,
except
accused
Anas,
Nazim
and
Kasim,
proved
their
presence
in
and
around
the
spot
of
the
incident,
which
corroborated
the
prosecution’s
case
against
the
accused.
“All
accused
indulged
in
targeting
Hindus
and
their
acts
were
apparently
prejudicial
to
the
harmony
between
communities
of
Muslims
and
Hindus.
They
disturbed
the
public
tranquillity
as
well,”
the
judge
said.
The
judge
said
the
act
of
a
group
of
more
than
one
person
from
a
mob
can
make
everyone
liable.
Pramachal
said
that
in
the
present
case,
it
was
not
necessary
for
all
members
of
mob
to
play
some
overt
act
in
the
killing
of
Ankit
Sharma
and
according
to
the
evidence
before
the
court,
the
mob
was
acting
in
a
“well-prepared
manner
to
attack
Hindus
and
their
properties,
which
signified
the
existence
of
prior
meeting
of
their
mind.”
Tahir
Hussain
also
played
the
“role
of
instigator
to
kill
Hindus”
and
also
exhorted
this
mob
“not
to
spare
Hindus,”
the
judge
said.
“He
(Hussain)
instigated
the
mob
when
Ankit
came
forward
towards
this
mob
and
the
conspiracy
need
not
be
specifically
to
kill
Ankit.
When
the
accused
persons
were
acting
in
pursuance
to
conspiracy
and
common
object
to
kill
Hindus,
it
covered
the
killing
of
Ankit
as
well
for
the
reasons
that
Ankit
was
killed
because
he
was
Hindu,”
the
judge
said.
The
judge
said
the
mob
continuously
indulged
in
the
firing
of
gunshots,
pelting
of
stones
and
petrol
bombs
“towards
Hindus
and
houses
of
Hindus.”
“These
acts
of
the
mob
make
it
clear
that
their
objective
was
to
harm
Hindus
in
their
body
and
property
to
the
maximum
possible
extent.
It
is
also
clearly
shown
that
this
mob
consciously
wanted
to
even
kill
Hindus,”
the
judge
said.
The
ASJ
also
said
that
at
the
present
stage
of
the
trial,
the
court
cannot
raise
any
presumption
against
the
veracity
of
the
statements
of
the
witnesses
because
of
the
delay
in
recording
their
statements.
The
rule
of
prudence
can
be
applied
only
after
trial,
at
the
time
of
assessment
of
the
evidence
on
the
parameters
of
credibility,
he
added.