A day after a Delhi court convicted former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and four others for the murder of Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma during the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, the BJP on Tuesday launched a blistering attack on AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, alleging that he had politically protected Hussain and describing him as the “biggest culprit” behind the episode.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia termed the trial court’s decision a “historic verdict” that had ensured justice for Ankit Sharma’s family and reaffirmed public faith in the judicial process.
Referring to the conviction, Bhatia said Hussain had been found guilty under Section 302 (murder) and other serious provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including kidnapping and promoting enmity between groups, along with co-convicts Javed, Anas, Nazim and Qasim.
Reading from what he said were portions of the court’s findings, Bhatia claimed the judgment held that Hussain had instigated the mob and that Ankit Sharma was killed as part of a conspiracy.
Using the conviction to target the AAP leadership, Bhatia alleged that Hussain enjoyed political patronage from Kejriwal during and after the riots.
“The biggest culprit, if there is anyone along with Tahir Hussain, is Arvind Kejriwal. He is the one on whose behest this happened,” Bhatia alleged.
He further claimed that when Hussain was arrested, Kejriwal neither condemned him nor immediately severed ties with him.
“When Tahir Hussain was caught, you hid. No word came out of your mouth. You did not remove him from the party. You gave him political protection,” he said.
Demanding accountability from the former Delhi chief minister, Bhatia said, “Arvind Kejriwal should come out and apologise to the country and to the people of Delhi.”
The BJP spokesperson also criticised AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan over his reported remarks on the conviction, accusing him of standing with a convicted person instead of the victim’s family.
“Not a single word for Ankit Sharma, but sympathy for a convicted person. Isn’t this vote-bank politics?” he said.
He challenged the AAP leadership to distance itself from Khan’s remarks, saying, “If you really believe in the rule of law and stand with the family of Ankit Sharma, sack Amanatullah Khan in the next 15 minutes and then have the audacity to come out and make a statement.”
Bhatia also broadened the attack to the Congress, accusing Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi of creating an atmosphere that fuelled tensions during the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). Referring to Sonia Gandhi’s “aar-paar ki ladai” remark and the Congress’ opposition to the CAA, he alleged that the party had spread fear by claiming Muslims would lose their citizenship.
“How many Muslims in India have lost their citizenship? The answer is zero,” he said, adding, “Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi should categorically withdraw their earlier statements and issue an unconditional apology.”