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NEW DELHI: Delhi Police on Monday pressed for the death penalty for former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and four others convicted in the 2020 murder of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Ankit Sharma, arguing before a Delhi court that the killing was so brutal it fell within the “rarest of the rare” category.Special public prosecutor Madhukar Pandey told the court that Sharma was subjected to a planned and relentless assault before his body was dumped in a drain instead of being taken for medical treatment.Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Pandey said the prosecution’s demand for capital punishment was based on the nature of the crime and the manner in which it was carried out.“Our argument is based on the brutal way the victim was killed. There were 51 injuries on his body, seven of which were fatal. The most shocking aspect is that a heavy sharp-edged weapon was used for one of the injuries. I argued that the entire act was meticulously planned. Here was an unarmed man surrounded by a mob. He was attacked and subjected to a continuous assault. Absolutely no mercy was shown to him. Instead of taking him to a hospital, they simply dumped his body into a drain. I requested the court to treat this as a rarest of the rare case and impose the death sentence,” Pandey was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.The prosecutor further argued that Hussain’s position as a public representative increased, rather than reduced, his responsibility.“I countered that his role as a public servant and councillor actually heightened his responsibility compared to that of an ordinary citizen,” he said.Referring to the evidence presented during the trial, Pandey claimed witness testimonies showed Sharma’s clothes had been stripped off before his body was disposed of.“The evidence and witness testimonies reveal that the victim was wearing nothing but his underwear. All his other clothes had been torn off. A cloth was tied around his neck to drag him to the other side of the drain, from where Ankit Sharma was thrown down. Those pleading for leniency before the court ought to have shown some mercy themselves,” he added.The sentencing hearing is currently underway before the Karkardooma Court. On July 23, Additional Sessions Judge Praveen Singh directed Hussain and the four other convicts to file affidavits detailing their socio-economic status before arguments on the sentence.Advocate Rajiv Mohan, appearing for Hussain, had sought time to advance arguments on sentencing. The court subsequently deferred the hearing to July 27.Earlier this month, the court convicted Hussain and the co-accused under multiple provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including murder, kidnapping, rioting, promoting enmity between groups and unlawful assembly.Ankit Sharma was killed during the North East Delhi riots in February 2020. His body was later recovered from a drain.
