After 12 hours of canvassing, Tahir Hussain back in jail

Just two hours after walking out of Tihar Jail on custody parole, former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Mohammad Tahir Hussain, now contesting as an All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) candidate, began campaigning in Mustafabad under heavy police presence.

Hussain, accused in the 2020 Delhi riots, went door to door, in an odd procession where he was flanked by his supporters and half-a-dozen police personnel.

Weaving his way through the narrow bylanes of New Mustafabad and Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, Hussain, wearing a black-and-white kurta and sporting the AIMIM’s bright green scarf, continuously waved to the locals.

During the campaigning, he lashed out against his former party and said it was the people’s love that got him out of jail on parole to contest the election.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court granted Hussain a six-day custodial parole to campaign for 12 hours daily till February 3. He left Tihar around 6am and hit the streets of Mustafabad by 8am. Addressing a gathering at 25 Futa Road, he credited “the people’s love” for his candidacy.

“Their belief in me gave me strength, and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi sahab supported me. I will fight for you with all my strength. Help Mustafabad’s son win again,” he said.

Mustafabad, having a sizeable population of both Hindus and Muslims, was among the areas hit by the 2020 riots in northeast Delhi, in which at least 53 people died. Hussain is an accused in a case linked to one of these deaths — that of Intelligence Bureau staffer Ankit Sharma.

Hussain, who represented Mustafabad as an AAP councillor, spoke about his time behind bars. “The last five years were extremely tough, but seeing familiar faces today, I feel like the same Hussain I was before.”

He aimed at his former party, accusing it of abandoning him.

“When multiple FIRs were filed against me, the AAP, for whom I worked tirelessly, left me to fend for myself. It was a lonely fight.”

Hussain finished campaigning in Karawal Nagar by 5pm after which he returned to jail.

The parole conditions allow him to visit his party office and meet voters but bar him from visiting his home. He is also prohibited from discussing the cases against him.

On the ground

“A lot of people think he is innocent, so he may get sympathy votes. That will inevitably affect other parties,” said Kamruddin Malik, 54, a long-time resident who feels road conditions in the area need attention. “Overall, people were happy with AAP’s work.”

Elderly voter Abdul Khan, who interacted with Hussain during the campaign, believes he remains a well-recognised face. “He will get a fair share of votes, which will make this a close contest,” he said.

With Hussain back on the streets of Mustafabad, the election in this volatile constituency has become even more unpredictable.