After Arrest In Bihar, Sedition Accused Sharjeel Imam Being Brought To Delhi

JNU scholar Sharjeel Imam, booked for sedition over his ‘cut off Assam’ remark, is being brought to Delhi. News Nation has learnt that Imam’s flight will land in Delhi in the afternoon. After that, the JNU scholar will be taken by the Delhi Police for the interrogation. Imam had earlier claimed that it was not an arrest and he had in fact surrendered before the police. However, the Delhi Police has rejected the claim and said that Imam was arrested after mega hunt that was spread across five states. On Tuesday, Imam was arrested from Bihar’s Jehanabad over sedition charges. Imam was arrested from Kake area of Jehanabad. The arrest came following the mega hunt, which was launched soon after the Imam’s Assam video went viral.

Earlier in the day, Imam’s brother was picked up by Jehanabad police for question. The JNU scholar student is known as the co-coordinator of Shaheen Bagh protests. Raids were conducted by Delhi Police in the national capital, Mumbai, Patna to arrest him for his ‘cut off Assam from India’ remark. A case of sedition was filed against Imam for the speech he delivered on the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) campus on January 16.

Pursuing research at the Centre for Historical Studies in JNU, Sharjeel Imam allegedly made the controversial remark during a protest against the citizenship law and the National Register of Citizens. "If we have 5 lakh organised people then we can permanently cut north-east from India or at least for one month. Disrupt the root so that they cannot even remove it for a month. It is our responsibility to isolate Assam from India, then only they will listen to us," Shaheen Bagh Coordination committee chief Sharjeel Imam could be heard saying in the video that was tweeted by BJP’ national spokesperson Sambit Patra. “We may come to know that in 6-8 months all Bengalis have been killed - Hindu or Muslim. If we want to help Assam, then we will have to stop the way to Assam for the Indian Army and other supplies," Imam had said in the viral clip.

While booking Imam for sedition, the Delhi Police had said, “Sharjeel Imam had previously delivered one such speech in Jamia Millia Islamia on 13 December last year and thereafter one even more inflammatory against the government which is being widely circulated on social media."

Meanwhile, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) chief proctor has also summoned the research scholar to appear before him and explain his position on the alleged provocative speeches made by him. Imam, who was one of the initial organisers of Shaheen Bagh protests, has been asked to appear before the Proctorial Committee by February 3.

“A security report dated January 27 against Sharjeel Imam, has been received in the Chief Proctor's office from the Office of Chief Security Officer. The report has cited media reports saying Imam made provocative speeches at Aligarh Muslim University threatening the unity, integrity and sovereignty of the country upheld by the constitution," JNU Registrar Pramod Kumar said.

Meanwhile, The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) on Tuesday condemned the arrest of university student and anti-CAA activist Sharjeel Imam in a sedition case and alleged that the charge was invoked due to “other reasons”. The teacher’s body also attacked the Delhi Police, saying it immediately went after Imam while no arrest has been made in connection with the January 5 violence on JNU campus. “While there may be considerable scope for disagreement with the remarks allegedly made by the student, it has been persuasively argued by legal experts that these remarks do not warrant a charge of sedition and there are other reasons behind the sedition law being invoked,” JNUTA said in a statement.