Published 18:06 IST, January 28th 2020
Prakash Javadekar reacts on Imam's arrest, asserts 'no tolerance' for provocative slogans
Confirming the arrest of Sharjeel Imam, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar asserted that slogans such as Assam ki Azadi would not be tolerated.
On Tuesday, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar reacted to the arrest of JNU PhD scholar Sharjeel Imam who gave the ‘Break India’ call. Javadekar opined that provocative slogans such as Jinnah wali Azadi and Assam ki Azadi would not be tolerated. Moreover, he confirmed the arrest of Imam.
Javadekar remarked, “Who will tolerate Jinnah wali Azadi and Assam ki azadi?” He added, “The arrest has taken place.”
Holding a press briefing, DCP Delhi Crime Branch revealed that Imam had been arrested from his village in Jehanabad district of Bihar at approximately 2 pm on Tuesday. He mentioned that the Delhi police would be seeking his transit remand from Bihar. Subsequently, he was presented by the police before a local court in Jehanabad. Earlier in the day, Imam's brother was detained.
Sharjeel Imam's controversial remarks
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. In the video purportedly from Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh, he is heard saying that 5 lakh people can come together and permanently cut the North-East from India. Moreover, he stressed that this was the only way in which the Indian government would pay heed to the concerns of the protesters. Complaints were registered against him in Delhi, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and Uttar Pradesh.
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."
Updated 18:06 IST, January 28th 2020