Prateek Tanmay
3 min readNew DelhiJul 13, 2026 10:38 PM IST
Ankit Sharma’s family no longer lives in the family home at Northeast Delhi’s Khajuri Khas.
The drain where the Intelligence Bureau staffer’s body was found six years ago became a painful reminder of the horrors of February 25, 2020, when communal violence swept through Northeast Delhi. Fifty-three people were killed in the riots, and Ankit was among them.
On Monday, after a Delhi court convicted former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and four others in the case, Sharma’s family said the pain remains as fresh as ever.
They alleged Ankit was targeted because he was a Hindu, and demanded the death penalty for all those accused in his killing. “Mere bhai ne desh ke liye balidaan diya hain (my brother sacrificed his life for the nation),” his elder brother Ankur said, claiming that it was communal killing.
On February 25, 2020, Ankit went missing after he left his house to fetch household supplies. Police claimed he was dragged away by a violent mob and brutally murdered, and his body dumped in a drain.
He was stabbed 52 times, according to the police. His body was retrieved from the drain the next morning.
The family said they moved out soon after the riots because of security concerns and the emotional burden of remaining in a place where every street reminded them of the tragedy.
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Speaking to The Indian Express, Ankur said, “Every lane we crossed reminded us of what happened. Ek dum mann bhari ho jaata tha naala cross karte huye (Every time we crossed the drain, our hearts would feel unbearably heavy). Those memories never left us. We shifted immediately in 2020 and have been living on rent since then.”
The emotional toll has affected the entire household. The family said Ankit’s parents now suffer from high blood pressure, and every discussion about the riots or the case brings back stress and anxiety.
The family said justice will only be complete when all those convicted in the case receive the maximum punishment under law.
“They should also go through the same pain that we have gone through. My brother was a friendly person who interacted with both Hindus and Muslims. He had no bias against anyone, but when he was attacked, even his Muslim friends participated in the crime,” Ankur alleged.
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He added that the family has become far more guarded about their personal safety since the riots. “We don’t reveal our address to anyone anymore or do public interactions with the media on camera as we do not want anyone to get our address. We have safety and security concerns… it’s not easy to leave your house and stay elsewhere on rent,” he said.
