Ankit Sharma be granted martyrs status: Family

Ankit Sharma's family has requested that he be granted martyrs status. Appealing to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, they also urged that his killers be identified and punished as soon as possible.

New Delhi: The family of Ankit Sharma, an Intelligence Bureau (IB) official who was killed during communal riots in the national capital a few days ago, has appealed to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal that he should help them ensure martyrs status for the deceased.

The IB official went missing on Tuesday evening and his body was found from a drain the next day from Chand Bagh, one of the worst-hit areas in North-East Delhi.

The family has released one minute video in which his brother, Ankush Sharma can be seen standing with his parents and urging the authorities to take action against people involved in his killing, specially Aam Aadmi Party councillor Tahir Hussain, who they say could be seen supporting rioters in the area.

Over 40 people were killed and hundreds other injured in the riots that took place in North-East Delhi.

Delhi police, who was criticised for ineffective de-escalation efforts, issued an appeal on Thursday, requesting people, including media persons, to come forward and give their statements and share video footage in connection with the violence.