On Tuesday, the Jahanabad police detained Sharjeel Imam's brother Muzammil Imam, reported news agency ANI. Sharjeel, a JNU student and co-coordinator of Shaheen Bagh protests, who has been booked on sedition and other charges in several states for his alleged "inflammatory" speeches.
On Monday, Delhi Police conducted multiple raids in different parts of the country to nab Sharjeel Imam. The Crime Branch of Delhi Police on Sunday booked Imam and slapped him with a sedition case after his alleged speeches went viral on social media where he was heard speaking about "cutting off" Assam and the northeast from India. Imam has been slapped with charges of sedition and inciting enmity between communities under Sections 124A, 153A and 505 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Following the FIRs, chief proctor of the JNU summoned Imam to appear before him by February 3 and explain his position on the alleged provocative speeches made by him.
Earlier, a series of videos have gone viral on social media in which Imam is heard saying: "If we all come together, then we can separate the Northeast from India. If we cannot do it permanently, then at least for one to two months, we can do this." "It is our responsibility to cut Assam from India. When this happens, only then the government will listen to us," he is heard saying further in the video.
Assam police had, earlier, lodged a case against him under the anti-terror law--the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Meanwhile, police in Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh have registered FIRs against Imam under IPC sections relating to waging war against the nation and sedition. If convicted, he could be imprisoned for life.
Imam's mother reacted with anguish to the developments back home in Bihar's Jehanabad. "My son is innocent. He is a bright young man and not a thief or a pickpocket. I swear in the name of God that I do not know about his whereabouts," Afshan Rahim told reporters.
