The Special Investigation Team of the Delhi Police that is investigating the Delhi Riots said on Sunday (August 2) that Aam Aadmi Party’s councillor Tahir Hussain confessed to his role in the riots.
In his statement to the Delhi Police, Tahir Hussain reportedly told that he wanted to teach the Hindus a lesson using his political power and money when he became the councillor in 2017.
He also admitted that he was the mastermind behind the anti-CAA riots that rocked the north-east part of the city in February this year.
According to the statement issued by police officials, Tahir Hussain got support from Khalid Saifi and the notorious Popular Front of India.
In his confession during the interrogation by the Delhi Police, Tahir Hussain said that he and Khalid Saifi planned the riots together. Tahir Hussain had told Khalid Saifi that his political position and money should be used against Hindus. He reportedly told the police that he decided to act as he was aggrieved by abrogation of Article 370, Supreme Court’s ruling in favour of Ram Mandir and the passing of the Citizenship Amendment Act 2019.
As per the police officials, Tahir used support from Khalid Saifi, former JNU student Umar Khalid, Ishrat Jahan and Popular Front of India (PFI) member Danish. Tahir Hussain was introduced by Khalid Saifi to ex-JNU student Umar Khalid at the PFI office in Shaheen Bagh. During the meeting, Khalid supposedly told that he was ready to die. Khalid Saifi also promised Hussain that Danish would offer all financial help in the “war against Hindus”.
They had connived in that meeting to do something that will shake the central government which will force them to roll back CAA. Khalid Saifi is said to have taken the responsibility of provoking people on the streets. Saifi along with Ishrat Jahan started staging anti-CAA demonstrations at Khureji which spread to different parts. They had planned to carry out the riot when the US President Donald Trump touched down in India.
Tahir Hussain accepted to the Delhi Police that he collected liquor and cold drink bottles, from scrap dealers. Suspicion on him was avoided as construction was going on Tahir’s house. He collected petrol and diesel by filling the tanks of vehicles full, which was transferred to containers at his house. Ex-JNU student Umar Khalid had asked him to collect acid too. According, huge empty bottles, bricks, stones, acids, petrol bombs were stocked at his under-construction house roof top.
He also used collected his licensed pistol which was deposited with the police to be used in the riots.
In order to ensure that his family and people of his community (Muslims) were not harmed during the riot, Tahir Hussain shifted them to a safe location a day before. He also disconnected all CCTV cameras. On the day of the riots, he kept calling the Delhi Police to avoid eyes turning on him.
Ex-JNU student Umar Khalid was also questioned by the Delhi Police about his provocative speeches and also his meetings with Tahir Hussain and Khalid Saifi.