Rioters murder IB staffer, dump his body in a drain
NEW DELHI: A day after a 26-yearold security assistant with the Intelligence Bureau (IB) was allegedly captured by an antiCAA mob near his home in Khajuri Khas, authorities on Wednesday fished out his body from a clogged drain nearby on being informed by some local women that the rioters had dumped some bodies in it.
The body of Ankit Sharma was identified by his uncle, soon after divers used a rope to pull him out around 11.30am. “He had multiple stab wounds on his body. They even seemed to have stabbed him in his eye,” Sharma’s uncle relative said.
Sharma’s father is an assistant sub-inspector with the Delhi Police and works at the Karol Bagh police station in Central Delhi.
Sharma’s relatives have accused Tahir Hussain, Aam Aadmi Party councillor from Nehru Vihar, of plotting his death at the hands of the mob. “The mob that snatched and killed my brother was operating from Hussain’s house. A mob was pelting stones from the terrace of that building,” Sharma’s brother, Ankur said.
A senior police officer said they were investigating the allegations.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kapil Mishra took to Twitter demanded Hussain’s arrest, sharing a video that showed rioters pelting stones and petrol bombs from the roof of a house that Mishra and local residents said belongs to the leader.
Hussain denied having anything to do with the murder or the riots. “I have come to know from TV reports that I am being blamed for the murder of a man. These are lies and baseless accusations. For our safety, my family and I had moved away from our home on Monday in police presence. There should be an impartial probe into the incident and action should be taken against whoever is found guilty. It is wrong to target me. I and my family have nothing to do with it,” he said.
In a tweet, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal call the Sharma death a “tragic loss of life”.
Ankur said Ankit had left for work around 8am on Tuesday and returned home around 4.30pm. “He had gone out to see what was happening when Hussain’s men caught him,” alleged Ankur.
His uncle, Sudhir, said Ankur was accompanied by his two friends who too were captured with him. “We have heard that one of them later managed to escape, but the other friend was killed with Ankit,” alleged Sudhir.
A local resident who claimed to be an eyewitness said the three were being taken away by the mob, some other people known to Ankit had tried to rescue them, but were forced to retreat because the mob fired at them.
SHARMA’S FATHER IS AN ASI WITH THE DELHI POLICE AND WORKS AT THE KAROL BAGH POLICE STATION