Delhi Police seek death penalty for Tahir Hussain, four others in Ankit Sharma murder case

The Delhi police on Monday sought the death penalty for former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain and four others convicted in the murder of Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma during 2020 riots. The police submitted before Additional Sessions Judge Praveen Singh of the Karkardooma Courts that the “cold-blooded” killing, marked by 51 injuries on the victim’s body, qualified as a “rarest of rare” case warranting capital punishment.

Special Public Prosecutor Madhukar Pandey argued that the crime was exceptionally brutal and warranted the maximum punishment. The court was informed that among the 51 injuries, 18 were caused by sharp-edged weapons which, the prosecution said, reflected the intent and severity of the attack.

“The assault continued even after the victim had died... It was a cold-blooded killing,” the prosecution said, urging the court to consider it a “rarest of the rare case’’.