Tahir Hussain, who admitted to wanting to "teach Kafirs a lesson" during the 2020 Delhi anti-Hindu riots, has been granted custody parole to campaign for votes. He is contesting the Delhi elections from Mustafabad on an AIMIM ticket, the Muslim party led by barrister Asaduddin Owaisi.
The Mustafabad Assembly constituency was created during the 2008 delimitation exercise under the Congress government. At the time, Congress acknowledged that the exercise had helped the party secure Delhi by adding a significant number of Muslim voters to key constituencies, as reported by Hindustan Times.
Now, in 2025, ahead of the Delhi Assembly Elections, large crowds of Muslims in the riot-affected Mustafabad constituency have gathered to catch a glimpse of Tahir Hussain—an accused in the brutal murder of IB officer Ankit Sharma.
Tahir Hussain, in police custody on parole, gloated as he said, “After five years, I have had the opportunity to come out of jail, and I am very happy. When I was leaving jail, I was anxious and worried, but I am happy now because so many people came here to meet me, to see me, to catch a glimpse of me. This shows that for the first time, a person from Mustafabad, a son, a brother from Mustafabad, is about to become an MLA…”
Reports indicate that the Muslims of Mustafabad showed immense support for Hussain, queuing up since morning just to catch a glimpse of him. A local resident expressed that Allah has granted Tahir great success and, ‘Inshallah,’ people would also cast their votes for him. When asked about Assam politician and AIUDF leader Badruddin’s appeal to vote for AAP and prevent the Muslim vote from being divided in the upcoming Delhi elections, another Muslim resident shared their thoughts. The Muslim resident immediately replied, “We don’t know Badruddin. We know Tahir. We will vote for him”. Another Muslim stated that the entire constituency supports Tahir Hussain. When questioned about Badruddin's statement, the appeal was confidently dismissed.
Given the strong support for Tahir Hussain among the Muslim population of Mustafabad, it is essential to assess the charges against him, which the judiciary initially found to be true.
Tahir Hussain's Involvement in the Delhi Anti-Hindu Riots
From February 24th to February 25th, Delhi was engulfed in one of the most violent anti-Hindu riots the country has witnessed in recent years. The violence claimed the lives of 53 individuals and left hundreds injured. These riots were allegedly planned, orchestrated, and executed with chilling precision by Islamist groups. A central figure in this disturbing event is Tahir Hussain, a former AAP leader and current AIMIM candidate, who is accused of leading the riots. During these riots, IB staffer Ankit Sharma was brutally murdered by his mob, and numerous Hindu-owned properties were set ablaze.
The police chargesheets against Tahir Hussain outline his direct involvement in the riots, providing detailed evidence of his actions. Here's a brief summary:
On January 8, Tahir Hussain, along with Umar Khalid and Khalid Saifi, plotted the riots during a meeting at Shaheen Bagh.
Suspicious transactions were traced back to shell companies. The chargesheet outlines multiple such transactions from Hussain’s account, which suggest that he began receiving funds to orchestrate the riots. Some of these funds were even funneled through shell companies.
Umar Khalid reassured Hussain that the Islamist group PFI (Popular Front of India) was financially prepared to assist in organizing the riots.
The police stated that Hussain, who had deposited his licensed pistol and 100 rounds at the Khajuri Khas police station in January, retrieved it only on February 22—just before the riots erupted. The chargesheet notes that during questioning, Hussain was unable to provide a convincing explanation for the release of his weapon. It mentions, "Only 64 live cartridges and 22 empty cartridges were recovered at his instance. During interrogation, he couldn't account for the remaining 14 live cartridges and 22 fired/empty cartridges, nor could he specify when or where they were used."
On the night between February 24 and 25, Hussain moved his family to his parental home in Mustafabad, claiming it was for safety. However, he stayed at his own building to monitor the situation and be in position to support Muslims against Hindus the following day, as part of the premeditated plan and criminal conspiracy.
To divert attention from his role in the riots, Hussain made several PCR calls as a decoy.
Hussain made sure the CCTV cameras were disabled to prevent any evidence from being recorded.
In Chargesheet Number 114/20, for instance, his involvement in setting fire to Hindu-owned shops and inciting a Muslim mob to attack Hindus is clearly established.
Both Chargesheets 114 and 59 contain disclosure statements from Tahir Hussain, which expose the extent of his depravity in targeting Hindus specifically during the riots.
One such disclosure statement, signed by Tahir Hussain on May 5, 2020, reveals how he orchestrated the riots with the intent to “teach kafirs a lesson.”
Hussain confesses that during the nationwide protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, he learned of upcoming rallies in support of the CAA. Acting on this information, he met with others and plotted to “teach them a lesson.” According to his statement, he chose his own house as the starting point for the riots because it was a high-rise, and construction was already underway, allowing him to gather stones and bricks without raising suspicion.
Hussain admits that he and his co-conspirators began collecting stones, bricks, and other ammunition well ahead of time to target those supporting the CAA when the moment was right. In preparation, he had his licensed pistol released from the police station 2-3 days before the riots. While gathering materials for the riots, he instructed his supporters to be “ready for anything” and ensure that all CCTV cameras—both private and government-installed—were destroyed to prevent evidence from being captured. It’s important to note that all of this occurred well before the anti-Hindu riots erupted in Delhi.
Hussain acknowledges that he, along with his brothers Shah Alam, Arshad, Abid, Shahid, Irshad, and several others, were present at his residence. His office was also in the same building where the riots were initiated. On the afternoon of the 24th, Hussain’s mobs began chanting “Allah Hu Akbar” and “Maaro Maaro Kaafiro Ko Maaro.” Under his instructions, his supporters went to the terrace of his house and specifically targeted Hindus and their properties by throwing stones, shooting, and launching petrol bombs. Hussain believed that, due to the high-rise nature of his building, they would not face retaliation from Hindus. He also revealed that his brother, Shah Alam, Gulfam, and others were firing a pistol at Hindus.
In a particularly revealing part of the disclosure, Hussain admits that during the violence, he repeatedly returned to his home to call the PCR, pretending to be a victim of the riots, in an attempt to create a decoy for himself.
In a separate disclosure, Tahir Hussain acknowledged his involvement in violent events in December 2019.
In the supplementary disclosure, he explained that after the Jamia protests on December 15th and the police's crackdown on the rioters, he became increasingly angry. He then decided to talk to the Muslims in his community, claiming that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was harmful to Muslims and would ultimately lead to them losing their citizenship and being forced to flee India.
On December 16th, he began speaking with local Muslims and urged them to gather near Farukhia Masjid at Brijpuri Pulia around noon. By 12:30 PM, when he arrived at Farukhia Masjid, approximately 1,000 Muslims had gathered to hear him speak about the CAA's negative impact on Muslims.
According to his statement, while addressing the crowd, the police unexpectedly arrived. Many people then sought refuge inside the Masjid, citing prayers, while others scattered into nearby lanes. Once the police left, the gathering reconvened in Lane 10 of Jama Masjid, where the meeting continued. Around 50-60 people attended, and by 8 PM, they decided to meet at Al Hind Nursing Home with Dr. MM Anwar to plan their next steps.
In a startling revelation, Hussain admitted that to "mark his presence," he instructed his followers to throw stones at a bus in Bhajanpura.
Further in his statement, Hussain explained that on December 17th, he and Dr. Anwar had organized a rally against the CAA. During the rally, in front of Farukhia Masjid, Hussain told 70-80 Muslims that if the CAA was enacted under PM Modi and Amit Shah, all Muslims would be forced to leave India. He warned that if they didn't want to flee, they should prepare to “bring them down to their knees.”
He went on to say that when the police arrived again, the rally was called off, and the crowd dispersed. However, enraged by the cancellation, Hussain gathered 200-250 people near the Tirpal Factory around 8 PM. Taking advantage of a power outage, they began throwing stones at Hindus. Hussain admitted that the attack lasted for over 30 minutes, with the police responding by firing tear gas at the attackers. As a larger police force arrived, the crowd scattered, and Hussain fled the scene.
In March 2023, the Karkardooma court in Delhi formally charged Tahir Hussain with the brutal murder of IB staffer Ankit Sharma. In the process of framing the charges, the court remarked, “Tahir was continuously acting in a manner of supervising & motivating this mob. All these things were done to target Hindus. Every member of the mob assembled there participated in achieving the objective of targeting Hindus.” The court further remarked, “Such conducts of the members of this mob, show that they were acting out of the meeting of their minds and with a ‘clearcut objective in mind, to kill and harm Hindus’. Thus, a ‘criminal conspiracy to indulge in a riot and to kill Hindus and harm properties of Hindus’, is well reflected from the evidence on the record.”
The court had specifically remarked regarding Tahir Hussain, “Tahir Hussain also played the role of instigator to kill Hindus. and exhorting this mob so as not to spare Hindus. He instigated the mob when Ankit came forward towards this mob.”
In March 2024, the court denied bail to Hussain, noting that he had not only financed the anti-Hindu violence but had also actively taken part in it.
Muslim Community Should Feel Ashamed as Tahir Hussain is Celebrated
The involvement of Tahir Hussain in the violence against Hindus is not ambiguous. He is not a victim of the state, nor have motives been falsely assigned to him by the state. Tahir Hussain actively funded and incited the mob, ensuring the victimization of Hindus. It was his mob—funded, instigated, and led by him—that murdered Ankit Sharma, who was stabbed 51 times. His body was later found in a drain, with his intestines spilling out.
Mustafabad, a riot-affected area, was a hotspot for violence against Hindus and a key site for Muslim mobilization. The mob, predominantly consisting of Muslim youths, originated from Mustafabad and gathered at the Chand Bagh bridge. From there, they advanced to Tahir Hussain’s building, where they began throwing stones and petrol bombs from the rooftop. Even in the case of Dinesh Kumar Khatik, one of the victims of the anti-Hindu violence, his brother explicitly stated that Dinesh’s death was the result of jihad—a jihad led by Islamic fundamentalists. He claimed that the entire area of Mustafabad was responsible for his brother's death.
The violence in areas like Shiv Vihar Taraha in 2020 also involved the mobilization of Muslim mobs from Mustafabad. The Shiv Vihar area falls within the jurisdiction of three police stations—Karwal Nagal, Dayalpur, and Gokulpuri. One road from Shiv Vihar leads to Mustafabad, a predominantly Muslim area where large-scale mobilization during the violence targeted Hindus specifically.
From the 2020 violence against Hindus to 2025, where Muslims line up in long queues to see Tahir Hussain, it is not unreasonable to conclude that a significant portion of the local Muslim population harbors hostility toward Hindus, and fervent admiration for those who "teach Kafirs a lesson."
If we were to look at the past five years of contemporary history in Bharat, it would be difficult to find a period in which Hindus were not subjected to violence by certain sections of the Muslim population. Almost every year, every month, and nearly every day, Hindus suffer at the hands of those who believe that being Hindu, in and of itself, justifies violence. They are attacked by those who view themselves as aggrieved by the existence of non-Muslims and consider them subhuman. To these extremists, the murder of non-Muslims who refuse to convert is seen as an outcome deserving of heavenly reward for the perpetrators.
While these violent mobs, motivated by the belief that killing "Kafirs" will secure their place in paradise, carry out their attacks, they often justify their actions by fabricating an offense, claiming it gives them the right to murder and commit arson. Afterward, they paint themselves as victims, claiming that their arrest, if any, is an act of aggression against them and their community, allegedly born from the world's hostility toward the "peaceful" Islam.
True to the Islamic playbook, Tahir Hussain, surrounded by supportive Muslims, gave an impassioned speech to his constituency. He spoke of how difficult the past five years had been for him, imprisoned behind high prison walls. The local Muslim population of Mustafabad, with cameras in hand and devotion in their eyes, likely vowed to avenge what they see as the injustice Tahir Hussain—the "slayer of Kafirs"—continues to face at the hands of the state.
Hindus are often told that their skepticism toward the Muslim majority is misplaced, a result of internalized Islamophobia. From Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who told Hindu victims of the Malabar genocide that their massacres were because they failed to make Muslims feel like brothers, to modern-day figures who claim that Hindus marginalize Muslims due to majoritarianism, the blame for Muslim aggression is frequently shifted onto the Hindus themselves.
Hindus are also told that those who engage in religiously motivated violence against them are merely outliers, unrepresentative of the broader Muslim community. Those who display aggression toward Hindus supposedly follow a distorted form of Islam, or "Mullah ka Islam," while "real" Islam preaches peace, love, and brotherhood, so Hindus are told.
Hindus, long subjected to violence, wish to believe that those who have historically harmed them are merely misguided and strayed from the true path of Islam. The hope persists, perhaps as a coping mechanism, that the Muslim community is capable of change—capable of coexisting peacefully with Hindus, capable of love, and capable of the brotherhood that the Hindu community has long sought.
However, while it would be incorrect to claim that all Muslims seek the annihilation of Hindus, the support for Tahir Hussain in Mustafabad, coupled with the silence of Muslims who claim to follow "true" Islam, raises serious concerns.
For decades, Muslims have worked to convince the world that they are not all hostile. If they wish to be believed, those who follow "true" Islam must loudly denounce the actions of Tahir Hussain and the mob that supports him, distancing themselves from those who follow "Mullah ka Islam."
The collective silence of the Muslim community in the face of this support suggests either fear or agreement with the actions unfolding in Mustafabad. Either way, it’s time for the Muslim community to introspect and be deeply ashamed of their conduct—something that may be difficult for Hindus to hope for, as it might be seen as part of their coping mechanism.
A key part of this reality is that Tahir Hussain was rewarded with a political ticket from AIMIM for his violent campaign against Hindus. It is unimaginable that the locals of Mustafabad, who witnessed the violence and the mobilization of Muslim youth, were unaware of the targeting of Hindus and the role Hussain played. It’s also not unreasonable to believe that the support for Hussain goes beyond shared religious faith, but also reflects admiration for his "courage" in "teaching Kafirs a lesson."
If that is indeed the case, the Muslim community is confronted with two choices:
Denounce the violent actions of Tahir Hussain and his supporters, acknowledging that they follow a warped version of Islam that incites hatred and violence against non-Muslims. The rest of the Muslim community must speak out against such actions to prove that they follow a peaceful version of Islam.
Acknowledge that the actions of Tahir Hussain and his supporters align with Islam and that there is scriptural support for violence against non-Muslims.
With the Muslim community failing to condemn either Hussain’s political rise or the overwhelming support he has garnered, it is reasonable to assume that they are either too fearful to speak out or tacitly support the violence unfolding in Mustafabad. Either way, it is time for deep reflection on their conduct—an expectation that may be hard for Hindus to bear, as it may simply represent another layer of the coping mechanisms they’ve long developed.
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