Kejriwal hands over govt job certificate to brother of 2020 riot victim

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday handed over a government job certificate to the brother of IB officer Ankit Sharma, who was killed in the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, his office said.

Ankit Sharma's brother Ankur has been posted in the Education Department of the Delhi government, the Chief Minister's Office said in a tweet in Hindi.

Last year, the chief minister had presented a cheque of Rs 1 crore to Ankit Sharma's family, it said.

Kejriwal asserted that the government will keep helping the family in future.

"The loss of human life can never be compensated but with this government job and assistance of Rs 1 crore, the family will get strength. In future too, (we) will help the family in every possible way," the chief minister said in a tweet in Hindi.

Ankit Sharma was found dead in a drain near his home in northeast Delhi's riot-hit Chand Bagh area in February 2020. In March 2021, the Delhi government had announced that it would provide a government job to his brother.

The riots erupted on February 24, 2020, after clashes between supporters of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and those against it spiralled. At least 53 people were killed and around 200 injured in the violence.

Later in the evening, Kejriwal targeted the BJP for not helping the bereaved family.

"BJP people played dirty politics on the death of Ankit Sharma and then abandoned his family. We did not do any politics with them (Ankit's family). We kept in constant touch with the family and helped them at every turn," he said in another tweet.

In a statement, the Delhi government said Kejriwal has fulfilled his promise of providing a government job to Ankit Sharma's kin.

"The Kejriwal government is appointing Ankur Sharma as a 'Junior Assistant' in the Education Department," the statement said.

The chief minister also met the slain Intelligence Bureau officer's family on Thursday. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who holds the education portfolio, was also present during the meeting, it said.

Kejriwal encouraged Ankur Sharma to take up the offer and join the department as soon as he can. He wished him luck, the statement said.

Earlier in the day, Sisodia also tweeted about Ankur Sharma being handed over the job certificate by Kejriwal.

Meanwhile, Ankur Sharma said the Delhi government has supported his family at every step following the death of his brother, according to the statement.

"The CM provided us with financial assistance. Today, I have been offered a government job in the Delhi government by the CM," the statement quoted Ankur Sharma as saying.

Ankit Sharma's mother also thanked the Delhi government and Kejriwal for supporting her family.