Delhi violence: Court sends Tahir to 7-day custodial interrogation

New Delhi, March 6 (PTI): A Delhi court Friday sent suspended AAP councillor Tahir Hussain to 7-day police custody in connection with the alleged killing of Intelligence Bureau (IB) official Ankit Sharma during the recent violence in northeast Delhi.

Duty Magistrate Rakesh Kumar passed the order after Hussain was produced before him by Delhi Police which said that his custodial interrogation was required to unearth larger conspiracy, Hussain’s advocate Mukesh Kalia said.

Hussain was produced before the duty magistrate amid tight security late in the evening and neither the media nor any lawyer, other then those connected with the case, was allowed inside the courtroom.

Hussain was arrested on Thursday after a court here dismissed his plea seeking to surrender before it in connection with the case.

The court rejected his plea saying that the relief sought by him was outside its jurisdiction.

Hussain moved the surrender application before the court saying that he was willing to join the investigation and wanted to surrender in the case.

Advocate Kalia argued before the court that there was a grave apprehension of threat to his life and therefore he has not surrendered before competent court as there is “charged environment” in Karkardooma District court.

The lawyer said Hussain has been falsely implicated in the case and sought protection for his life and property.

As the court dismissed Hussain’s plea, a Delhi Police team, which had already arrived, arrested him and took him into custody.

Hussain has been booked in the murder case of the IB staffer in northeast Delhi amid violence over the new citizenship law last week.

Delhi’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had then suspended him for alleged involvement in the violence which has left at least 42 people dead and around 200 injured.

The family of Sharma (26), who was found dead in a drain near his home in northeast Delhi’s riot-hit Chand Bagh area, has accused Hussain of being behind the killing.

On the complaint of Sharma’s father, the police registered an FIR against Hussain, who has rejected the charge. Communal clashes had broken out in northeast Delhi four days ago after violence between anti-and-pro-Citizenship (Amendment) Act groups spiralled out of control.

Frenzied mobs torched houses, shops, vehicles, a petrol pump and pelted stones at local residents and police personnel.