'Wanted To Teach Hindus A Lesson': Tahir Hussain Confesses Role In Delhi Riots, Says Was Helped By Umar Khalid, Others

Suspended Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain has confessed to the Delhi Police about his role in the communal riots that broke out in North East Delhi in February this year, as per an Interrogation Report (IR) by the police.

According to an ANI report, Hussain admitted during his interrogation that he had incited mob to unleash violence in the area during United States President Donald Trump's visit. He had also met former JNU student Umar Khalid at extremist Islamic outfit Popular Front of India (PFI)'s office in Shaheen Bagh on 8 January, he confessed as per the report.

Tahir also told the Delhi Police that his main motive behind conspiring for riots was to teach people from Hindu community a lesson, Zee News reported here.

Many individuals such as Umar Khalid, Khalid Saifi, Ishrat jahan, and PFI member Danish had helped Tahir in undertaking various tasks, as per the Delhi Police.

"Tahir reportedly told the police that he was aggrieved after the abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, Supreme Court ruling in the favour of Ram Temple in Ayodhya and Centre passing Citizenship Amendment Act; and hence decided to take an extreme step," read a part of the Zee News report.

As per the Delhi Police, Hussain's main task was to collect temporary weapons such as glass bottles, petrol, acid, stones in a large quantity on the roof of his house, while Khalid Saifi was told to gather people for protests. Tahir said he did collect all such items for the mob to carry out attacks.

"Khalid Saifi, along with his friend Ishrat Jahan, first started a dharna demonstration in Khureji on the lines of Shaheen Bagh. On 4 February, in Abu Fazal Enclave, I met Khalid Saifi for planning the riots," Hussain told the police during interrogation as per the report.

"On February 4, in Abu Fazal Enclave, I met Khalid Saifi for planning the riots. It was decided to provoke people sitting on the anti-CAA strike. Khalif Saifi said that something big has to be done at the time of Donald Trump's visit so that the government kneel," he reportedly told the investigators.

As per the DP interrogation report, Hussain had also taken back his pistol from the police station.

As per the Zee News report, Hussain and his aides also removed various CCTV cameras installed in the area so that no evidence is found by the police. He also intentionally called the Delhi Police multiple times during the riots to mislead the cops about his role in the violence.

He also ensured that all CCTV cameras were pulled out so that the police did not get any evidence. On the day of the riots, he deliberately kept calling the Delhi Police so as to avoid any kind of suspicion about his role.

"On 24 February, according to our plan, I had called several people and told them how to throw stones, petrol bombs, and acid bottles from my roof. I had shifted my family to another place. On 24 February 2020, at about 1:30 pm we started throwing stones," Hussain told police.

Hussain is one of the prime accused in the murder case of Intelligence Bureau (IB) staffer Ankit Sharma.

Sharma was killed in Chand Bagh area during the riots on 25 February. His body was recovered from the drain and had 51 sharp and blunt injuries on it.

Hussain has also been booked under the stringent anti-terror law -- Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, in a case related to alleged conspiracy in the riots.

Communal clashes broke out in northeast Delhi on 24 February after clashes between citizenship law supporters and protesters spiralled out of control leaving at least 53 people dead and around 200 injured.