Sentenced to life for IB man’s murder during Delhi riots: Who is ex-AAP face Tahir Hussain?
Ex-AAP councillor Hussain, who was expelled from the party after being named in IB staffer Ankit Sharma's killing, has been in prison since 2020, facing multiple cases related to Delhi riots
Since 2020, Hussain has spent over six years in prison in relation to multiple cases lodged against him during the Delhi riots. A Delhi court Friday sentenced former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain to life imprisonment in the murder of 26-year-old Intelligence Bureau (IB) staffer Ankit Sharma during the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots. On July 13, Hussain and four others were convicted in the case.
Once considered a Muslim face in the AAP with considerable support, Hussain, 57, was elected from Ward 59 in Nehru Vihar, East Delhi, in the 2017 Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections. Days after his name surfaced in connection with the killing of IB officer Sharma during the 2020 riots, he was expelled from the party.
Political innings
Hussain was born in Uttar Pradesh in 1969. Before he joined politics, he was involved in businesses and has been living in Northeast Delhi’s Mustafabad for decades. Till March 2020 before his arrest, Hussain was an AAP councillor.
In December 2024, he joined the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM and contested the February 2025 Delhi Assembly elections from Mustafabad, which was one of the worst-hit areas during the riots. His campaign was centred around multiple civic issues like schools, hospitals and roads. Pitted against BJP and AAP candidates, Hussain secured 33,474 votes and finished third. The BJP’s Mohan Singh Bisht won the seat by more than 17,500 votes.
Since 2020, Hussain has spent over six years in prison in relation to multiple cases lodged against him during the Delhi riots, in the aftermath of which 53 people died and 700 were injured.
In January 2025, he was granted a six-day custody parole by the Supreme Court, and launched his Assembly poll campaign in Mustafabad. He had then told The Indian Express that his family and supporters had been going to every household for the last six months before he was even named the AIMIM candidate.
He had said that his decision to join AIMIM was partly because of the disillusionment with the AAP. “I had thought that maybe the AAP will show sympathy and give my wife a ticket like they have done with (ex-MLA) Naresh Balyan, who has an ongoing (organised crime) case against him… But the AAP totally ignored me,” he said.
Other cases
Hussain, who has been in custody since March 2020, has 11 cases against him, including the “larger conspiracy” terror case related to the riots and a money laundering case. He has been granted bail in eight of them. While he has been sentenced in one, the larger conspiracy and money laundering cases are yet to be decided.
As per the Delhi Police Special Cell that is investigating the “larger conspiracy” case, the terrace of Hussain’s residence was allegedly used by rioters to throw stones and petrol bombs. He was called a “key local player” with considerable mass support who “aided the conspiracy”. As per the Special Cell, money provided by Hussain was also allegedly used to manage protest sites.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) also alleged that Hussain laundered Rs 1.1 crore to “instigate” the riots.
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