NEW DELHI: Former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain, once a prominent local leader in northeast Delhi, has remained at the centre of one of the most high-profile criminal cases arising out of the 2020 Delhi riots.Convicted in the murder of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Ankit Sharma and sentenced to life imprisonment, Hussain’s political journey has been marked by electoral success, legal battles and shifting political affiliations.Tahir Hussain was elected as an AAP councillor from northeast Delhi and was serving as a municipal representative when communal violence broke out in the area in February 2020.
Key facts about Tahir Hussain
- Former AAP councillor from Chand Bagh in northeast Delhi.
- Entered politics after building a career as a businessman.
- One of the most high-profile accused in the 2020 Delhi riots.
- Contested the 2025 Delhi Assembly polls from Mustafabad on an AIMIM ticket.
- Secured 33,474 votes and finished third.
- Faced multiple criminal cases linked to the 2020 riots.
- Convicted in the Ankit Sharma murder case in July 2026.
- Sentenced to life imprisonment by a Delhi court.
His name surfaced during the investigation into the murder of IB officer Ankit Sharma, following which the Aam Aadmi Party suspended him from the party.According to the Delhi Police, Sharma was caught by a violent mob during the February 2020 riots, dragged towards Chand Bagh Pulia, attacked with sharp and blunt weapons and his body was later dumped in a nearby drain.The police chargesheet alleged that Hussain led and instigated the mob, allegations that formed the basis of the prosecution’s case.The Crime Branch filed its chargesheet on June 3, 2020, and a Delhi court took cognisance of it in August the same year.On March 24, 2023, the court framed charges against Hussain and the other accused under various provisions, including murder, rioting, promoting enmity and criminal conspiracy.On July 13, 2026, the court convicted Hussain of murder, promoting enmity and rioting-related offences while acquitting him of criminal conspiracy and abetment charges.Four co-accused were also convicted, while six others were acquitted.Later, the Delhi court sentenced Hussain and the four other convicts to life imprisonment for the murder of Ankit Sharma, rejecting the prosecution’s plea seeking the death penalty.Despite remaining in jail during the trial, Hussain returned to electoral politics during the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections.After parting ways with AAP, he contested the Mustafabad Assembly seat on an AIMIM ticket.Although he finished third, he secured 33,474 votes, making his candidature one of the most talked-about contests of the election.The communal violence erupted in northeast Delhi in February 2020 during protests over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).The clashes witnessed large-scale stone-pelting, arson and vandalism.The riots claimed 53 lives and left hundreds injured, making them among the deadliest episodes of communal violence in the national capital in recent years.
