Imphal (Manipur), Jan 27 : The Manipur police has lodged an FIR against former JNU student Sharjeel Imam for his “seditious” comment in the wake of the amended Citizenship Act.
Imam has been booked under IPC sections 121 A (conspiracy to wage war against India), 124 A (sedition), 120 B (criminal conspiracy) and 153 which relates to “promoting enmity between different religious groups with an intent to create disharmony”, the police said.
The FIR was lodged here against Imam on Saturday for a speech he delivered at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) on January 16.
“Taking cognisance of the objectionable video of Mr Sharjeel Imam, in which he threatened to sever Northeast from the rest of country, the Manipur Police has filed an FIR (No. 16(1)2020 IPS) under sections 121/121-A/124-A/ 120-B /153 IPC,” tweeted Rajat Sethi, an advisor to Manipur CM. Chief Minister N Biren Singh shared his tweet.
Now five states , including two from the north east have filed sedition charges against JNU student Sharjeel Imam
The police in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Delhi have joined the Assam and UP police in filing cases against the student.
A day after sedition charges were slapped against Sharjeel Imam, activist and PhD student at JNU, by the Assam and Uttar Pradesh police, fresh charges under the same offence were issued against him in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Delhi, according to a report in the Indian Express.
The Assam and Uttar Pradesh police filed sedition cases against Imam for a speech that he had made against the Citizenship Amendment Act at Aligarh Muslim University on January 16. The Assam police have also filed an FIR against Imam under the anti-terror law UAPA.
UP and Delhi police have started conducting searches in different areas of Delhi to trace Imam. “We are working closely with Delhi Police and should be able to find him soon,” said Aligarh SSP Akash Kulhary.
The Delhi police have also sent a team to Bihar to search for Imam at his village Kako. Imam’s three relatives were detained for about four hours and released, sources told PTI.
Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu said that such a provocation would hamper the “sovereignty and territorial integrity of India”. In a tweet he said that this kind of provocation inciting secession of Assam & other NEstates from rest of India, creating communal disharmony, hampering sovereignty & territorial Integrity of India will not be tolerated. He added that Crime branch Itanagar have registered Case no.2/2020 U/S124(A)/153(A)153(B) IPC .
