Sharjeel Imam, JNU Student, Arrested From Bihar's Jahanabad Over 'Cut Off Assam From India' Remark

Jahanabad, January 28: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Sharjeel Imam has been arrested from Bihar's Jahanabad area by Delhi Police on Tuesday. Imam's, alleged comments that northeast should be severed from rest of India, had invited police cases from several states including Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Sharjeel Imam's Brother Detained in Bihar's Jehanabad.

On Sunday, cops raided his ancestral home after "help was sought by central agencies". Sharjeel Imam, said to be in the early thirties, has a degree from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mumbai and later moved to Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University.

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Imam is said to be one of the main organisers of Shaheen Bagh protest but came to limelight after a clip of him went viral wherein he could be heard saying that Assam should be cut off from the rest of India while addressing a gathering at Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh Muslim University, following which state police booked him under sedition charge.

The Delhi police alleged he had given a provocative speech on the Jamia Milia Islamia University and lodged First Information Report (FIR) against him. Assam, taking cognisance of Imam's statement that "Assam should be severed from the rest of India", lodged a case under the anti-terror law. Police in Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur had also lodged cases against the JNU student over his speech.

"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," Imam can be heard saying in the viral video.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 28, 2020 03:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).