Sharjeel Imam to be booked under NSA after extension of his judicial custody: Sources

In a big development, the Uttar Pradesh Police is all set to slap National Security Act (NSA) on Sharjeel Imam, as per sources. A court of Aligarh has issued a production warrant against Imam and he will be presented on February 18. Imam is in judicial custody since almost a month after he was arrested from his hometown in Bihar's Jehanabad. 

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Imam in custody

Sharjeel Imam's judicial custody was extended to 14 days by the Court on Wednesday. After being arrested on January 28, the JNU student Imam was previously sent on a six day judicial custody by the Delhi Court on February 6. On January 12, Imam was produced before the Court, wherein the permission to take his voice sample was given. His sample would be sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), however, raising objections Imam has refused to provide his voice sample to the Court.

Imam's controversial statement

The controversy came to light on January 25 when BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra shared a video that features Imam, a key organizer of the Shaheen Bagh protests. However, he also announced that he had called off the protest after political parties like Congress involvement in it. In the video from Aligarh (AMU) in Uttar Pradesh, he is heard saying that 5 lakh people can come together and permanently cut the North-East from India. He stressed that this was the only way in which the Indian government would pay heed to the concerns of the protesters. 

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In the video, Imam said, "If we have 5 lakh organized people then we can permanently cut north-east from India or at least for one month. Put so much (unclear) on the road that they cannot even remove it for a month. It is our responsibility to isolate Assam from India, then only they will listen to us." He added, "Do you know what is happening to Assamese Muslims? NRC is already applied there, they have been put in detention centers. We may come to know that in 6-8 months all Bengalis have been killed  - Hindu or Muslim. If we want to help Assam, then we will have to stop the way to Assam for the Indian Army and other supplies. The 'Chicken Neck ' belongs to the Muslims."

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government on Friday slapped the National Security Act (NSA) on Gorakhpur-based pediatrician Dr. Kafeel Khan for allegedly making inflammatory statements at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) during protests against the Citizenship Amendments Act (CAA) in December. 

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