Delhi Police team reaches Assam to bring back Sharjeel Imam, likely to return by August 24

The Delhi Police on Friday reached Assam to bring back Delhi violence accused JNU student Sharjeel Imam. The Delhi Police Special Cell team is likely to return to the national capital by August 24 (Monday).

This is the second time in exactly a month that the police team arrived in Assam to bring Imam back to Delhi. On July 21, the police was scheduled to bring him to the national capital but just ahead of his departure for Delhi, he tested positive for COVID-19.

Imam is an accused in a case related to alleged inflammatory speeches during the protests against CAA and NRC and is currently lodged in Guwahati jail in a case related to Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) registered by the Assam police.

Delhi Police on July 25 had filed a charge sheet against Imam in connection with a case related to his alleged inflammatory speeches during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) at several places. The 600-page charge sheet was filed, under section 124A (Sedition), 153(A) (Promoting enmity), 153 (Assertion prejudicial to national integration) (promoting enmity, Hatred between different communities, 505 (spreading rumours) IPC and Section 13 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, in Delhi`s Patiala House court.

Imam is accused of delivering seditious speeches and inciting a particular section of the community to indulge in unlawful activities, detrimental to sovereignty and integrity of the nation. In the garb of protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019, he exhorted people of a particular community to block the highways leading to the major cities and resort to "Chakka Jam", thereby disrupting normal life. 

In its charge sheet, Delhi Police claimed that Imam also openly defied the Constitution and called it a "fascist" document. In the name of opposing 'CAA' he also openly propagated blocking the 'chicken neck connecting mainland India with the North-East. He also showed contempt and disregard for the democratic means of protest.

Imam is being probed for his alleged inflammatory speech at Jamia Millia Islamia on December 13 and subsequently on January 16 at Aligarh Muslim University, where he allegedly threatened to "cut off" Assam and the rest of the Northeast from India. 

The Delhi High Court had on July 10 had dismissed the plea by Imam, who was arrested on January 28, challenging the trial court's June 25 order granting three more months to the Delhi Police, beyond the statutory 90 days, to complete the investigation in the case under the stringent UAPA.

Imam was arrested on January 28 from Bihar's Jehanabad district in the case related to violent protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) near the Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) University in December 2019. The statutory period of 90 days from the arrest had concluded on April 27.

He had also sought default bail in the matter on the ground that the probe was not concluded within the statutory period of 90 days and when the police had filed an application for more time to complete the investigation, he was not given a notice as required under the law. The trial court had dismissed the bail plea.

Initially, a case under section 124 A (sedition) and 153 A IPC (promoting enmity between classes) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the IPC was lodged by the Crime Branch, pursuant to the alleged speeches addressed by Imam, allegedly instigating a particular religious section of the society to disrupt/block the access to North East region of India from rest of India, police had claimed.

Imam was allegedly involved in organising protests at Shaheen Bagh but came into limelight after a video showed him making controversial comments before a gathering at Aligarh Muslim University, following which he was booked under sedition charges. Separate cases have also been registered against him in Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.

The police had earlier submitted before the court that after his speech on December 13, widespread arson and violence took place in various parts of Delhi and that several protest sites emerged after his January 16 speech.