Sharjeel Imam Currently In Arunachal Under Police Custody

ITANAGAR: From Bihar to Assam, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) research scholar Sharjeel Imam is now in Arunachal Pradesh for his remarks made against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) earlier this year.

In a video, reportedly made during his speech at the Aligarh Muslim University on January 16 that went viral as the anti-CAA protests were gathering momentum across other parts of the country, Imam is seen telling protestors to seemingly “cut-off” Assam and the Northeast to send a message to the Government of India.

Police in Assam and Uttar Pradesh were the first to register cases against Imam for his comments followed suit by the Delhi Police Crime Branch, Arunachal Pradesh Police, and the Manipur Police.

Imam was brought to Guwahati, Assam, on February 20. He was sent to judicial custody on February 28 after eight days of being in police custody. Having been detained in Assam for two weeks, he has now been brought to Arunachal Pradesh.

The Crime Branch of the Arunachal Pradesh Police had filed a case against Imam on January 26 under charges of sedition (section 124A), promoting enmity between different groups (section 153A), and imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration (section 153B).

He was brought to the state capital, Itanagar, on March 4 and is currently under three-day police custody.

Imam was taken from the Central Jail in Guwahati on the basis of a warrant issued by the Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Yupia near the Arunachal Pradesh capital.

Crime Branch DIG, VJ Chandran, said that he has admitted to being the person in the video in question and detailed investigation is being carried out.

He is likely to be taken to Manipur's capital, Imphal, once the Arunachal Pradesh Police release him where he faces a number of similar charges.