Sharjeel Imam, a Jawaharlal Nehru University student, was arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act in connection with the Delhi riots. Last Year he was booked in the Guwahati Central Jail to deliver provocative speeches against the Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens and was charged under the UAPA.

Imam has been booked under many sections which include- Sharjeel Imam has been booked under various sections including 124-A (Sedition), 153(A) (Promoting enmity), 153-A (promoting enmity, Hatred between different communities), 153-B (Assertion prejudicial to national integration) and 505 (spreading rumors) of India Penal Code and under the section 13 of the draconian UAPA.

He was brought to Delhi by the Special Cell of Delhi Police on a production warrant and will be presented before a Delhi court. According to the Delhi police’s charge sheet in July, Imam has been implicated of delivering hate speeches and encouraging a particular section of the community to include unlawful activities.

He allegedly asked a particular community to protest as, according to him, they lack adequate representation in parliament, the courts, the Indian army, or the police. He also ostensibly asked people not to believe in the constitution, which he termed “Fascist Document.”

The Delhi police said that while protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act, he entreated many people of that particular community to block highways, which led to ‘Chakka Jam’ and caused many problems for the common people. He included people in unlawful activities, deleterious to the sovereignty and integrity of the nation.

On 13th December 2019, he delivered allegedly dissident speeches on the campuses of Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi and on 16th January at Aligarh Muslim University. In his remarks, he reportedly threatened to “Cut Off” Assam and the Northeast from India. Earlier the police submitted his speech on 13th December at court.

He is an Ex-student of Jawaharlal Nehru University, studied for Historical Studies. He was brought back to Delhi from Assam on 23rd August on a production warrant. He was further tested positive for COVID-19 and was arrested from his hometown Jehanabad District in Bihar on 28th January.

Article Written by Dikhya Mohanty

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