NEW DELHI, July 14 -- A Delhi court on Monday convicted former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain in the murder of Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma during the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots, holding him guilty for murder, promoting enmity between different religions and rioting with deadly weapon. Additional sessions judge Praveen Singh of Karkardooma courts went on to acquit Hussain of charges of Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 120B pertaining to criminal conspiracy and 109 pertaining to punishment for abetment. The court also convicted four others, Nazim, Kasim, Javed and Anas under the same charges except murder, while it acquitted six others of all charges in the case. The court ordered immediate judicial custody of Javed and Anas who were out on bail. A reasoned order is awaited while a date for arguments on sentencing is yet to be decided. Hussain, who appeared physically in court, was seen breaking down as the judge pronounced the order. While leaving the courtroom, he said, "I will remain innocent". The acquitted persons identified as Haseen alias Mullaji, Firoz, Gulfam, Soyab, Sameer Khan and Muntajim alias Musa. Sharma's murder is among the most high-profile cases that took place during the Northeast Delhi riots that took place between February 23 and February 26 that took 53 lives and left over 700 persons injured. A Security Assistant with IB, Sharma lived with his parents in Khajuri Khas. On February 25, 2020, Sharma left his home around 5 PM to buy household groceries. The prosecution claims that Sharma reached the Chand Bagh Pulia (bridge) area, where clashes were underway between two groups. The chargesheet states that Sharma attempted to pacify people from both sides when he was identified and caught hold of, by a mob of at least 20 to 25 who police claimed allegedly kidnapped, assaulted and repeatedly stabbed him before dumping his body the next day inside the Khajuri Khas drain. During the two-year long trial, the prosecution examined 90 witnesses, five of whom, which included three passersby and two police witnesses, identified Hussain as being present at the scene of crime, in their testimonies before court. The chargesheet claims that Sharma was taken to a location near the Chand Bagh Pulia where he was repeatedly attacked with knives, rods, sticks and other weapons. According to his postmorten report, he allegedly suffered 51 sharp and blunt force injuries before being killed. The cause of death was concluded to be due to haemorrhagic shock due to multiple ante-mortem injuries caused by sharp-edged weapons. His family, including his father and complainant Ravinder Kumar, searched for him throughout the neighbourhood amid the violence, only to be informed later by their neighbours that he had been attacked by a mob. Sharma's body was recovered from the Chand Bagh Pulia the next morning on February 26....