New Delhi:Former Aam Aadmi Party corporator and the main accused in the Delhi riots, Tahir Hussain, will be the candidate of Asaduddin Owaisi's party, AIMIM, from the Mustafabad assembly constituency. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi confirmed this on his X handle.
In his tweet, Owaisi stated that former councillor Tahir Hussain has joined AIMIM and will contest the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections from Mustafabad. Currently, Tahir Hussain is in jail in connection with the Delhi riots case.
On Monday, the Aam Aadmi Party announced Adil Ahmed Khan as its candidate from Mustafabad. However, Tahir Hussain's family members and supporters met Owaisi on Tuesday and joined his party. Notably, in 2017, Tahir Hussain was elected councillor from the Nehru Vihar ward of Mustafabad on the AAP ticket. Later, he was accused of orchestrating the Delhi riots in February 2020 and was arrested by the Delhi Police. As a result, he was expelled from AAP.
In its charge sheet, the police accused Tahir Hussain of being the primary conspirator behind the Delhi riots. He is also accused of being involved in the murder of IB constable Ankit Sharma during the riots. Tahir Hussain is currently facing trial in the Karkardooma Court in connection with the Delhi riots case. BJP leader Kapil Mishra has criticised Owaisi for selecting Hussain as his candidate. Mishra, in a tweet, claimed that Owaisi was colluding with the killers of Ankit Sharma and accused Hussain of instigating violence against the majority of people in Delhi.
Tahir Hussain has been in Tihar Jail for approximately three and a half years since the riots. The police registered over 10 cases against him, including charges of conspiracy, money laundering, and involvement in the riots. While he has been granted bail in five cases by the Delhi High Court and lower courts, he remains in jail due to pending cases. Now, Tahir Hussain is set to contest the elections from jail.
It is worth mentioning that on 25 February 2020, a mob involved in the riots vandalised a shop and set it on fire. An FIR was registered against Tahir Hussain in the Khajuri Khas police station in this case. Hussain had also led protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) during that time.
