Six years after the severe communal violence in Delhi, a Sessions Court delivered a key judgment in the murder case of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Ankit Sharma. The court sentenced former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain along with four co-accused to life imprisonment. The detailed sessions court judgment recorded the exceptional brutality of the crime, recounting how a planned mob ambushed an unarmed Ankit Sharma near his residence, beat him mercilessly, and killed him with sharp weapons once he lay helpless on the ground, before dragging his body like an animal and dumping it into a nearby drain.
Ankit Sharma Murder Case: Sessions Court Verdict Details Barbarity
Additional Sessions Judge Praveen Singh highlighted the extreme cruelty inflicted upon Ankit Sharma in the official court ruling. Investigative findings and witness testimonies established that the perpetrators were fully aware of Ankit's identity as an IB officer. Despite having no personal enmity with anyone, he was targeted deliberately to create an atmosphere of terror in the area. The assailants continued to inflict multiple knife wounds even after his death, exceeding all bounds of human decency. The judgment noted that Tahir Hussain was an elected representative at the time of the offense, making his involvement even more severe and unpardonable. Though the court awarded life imprisonment, the sheer barbarity of the act leaves a lasting scar.
Jantar Mantar Clashes and the Emotional Toll on Police Families
In another unfolding development, families of police personnel injured during clashes at Jantar Mantar addressed the public in a press conference. Relatives of two Delhi Police ACPs, a Sub-Inspector, and an Assistant Sub-Inspector detailed how duty-bound personnel were targeted by violent crowds. Official records indicate that over 250 Delhi Police personnel sustained injuries between July 20 and July 25 during these clashes. In response, Abhijit Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), held the BJP responsible for the violence, claiming that external elements were planted into student protests to discredit them and attack the police force.
These incidents have placed immense emotional strain on the families of law enforcement officers. Daughters who view their police fathers as heroes witnessed footage of them being beaten by mobs. Sons proud of their fathers' four Gallantry awards saw them return with severe head injuries, while wives of officers guarding Parliament watched helmets shatter in near-fatal attacks. Many families are now urging their relatives to resign from the force. Police officers find themselves caught between strict administrative mandates to exercise minimum force and intense emotional pressure from family members questioning their safety. Critics noted that if external plants were indeed involved, video footage should be utilized to immediately identify and prosecute all culprits.
Parliamentary Saffron Stunt Sparks Backlash Over Ram Temple Allegations
Simultaneously, a political demonstration inside the Parliament complex regarding alleged donation thefts at the Ayodhya Ram Temple triggered a major controversy. Opposition leaders staged a protest where MP Pappu Yadav dressed as a sadhu, sporting saffron robes, a sacred tripund mark, a donation box, and a photograph of Ram Lalla. During the demonstration, when Rahul Gandhi stepped forward to deposit money into the donation box, Pappu Yadav intercepted the cash and slipped it into his own pocket before dropping to the feet of SP MP Awadhesh Prasad.
The visuals quickly circulated on digital platforms, prompting sharp reactions from the ruling party. Union Minister Giriraj Singh criticized the stunt, arguing that wearing saffron robes was a deliberate attempt to malign Sanatan traditions and depict sadhus negatively. Giriraj Singh clarified that those apprehended in connection with the donation theft in Ayodhya were trust employees, not sadhus. Swami Jitendranand Saraswati, General Secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Sant Samiti, strongly condemned the act, stating that disguising a leader with a criminal record as a sadhu insults religious sentiments. He attributed the event to strategic maneuvering by Rahul Gandhi, warning that mocking spiritual traditions would lead to serious political fallout. Observers noted that while the stunt was aimed at gaining social media traction, it sparked widespread anger across the saint community.
