Sharjeel Imam

Sharjeel Imam
Imam in 2020
Born	1988 (age 36–37) [1] Kako, Bihar, India
Alma mater	IIT Bombay JNU

Sharjeel Imam (born 1988) is a Muslim student activist ^{[2] [3]} known for making alleged inflammatory speeches during the 2019-2020 protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which granted accelerated pathway to Indian citizenship for non-Muslim refugees ^[4] from the Islamic nations of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, living in India. ^[4] His alleged hate speeches led to his arrest under India's sedition act. ^{[1] [5] [6] [7]}

Early life and education

Sharjeel Imam was born in 1988 in the Kako village of the Jehanabad district of Bihar, India. His father Akbar Imam was a politician; his mother Afshan Rahim is a homemaker, and his brother Muzzammil Imam is a social activist. ^[1] Akbar Imam was a Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)] candidate in the Jehanabad Assembly constituency in the 2005 assembly election. In 2014, Akbar died of cancer after an illness lasting many years. ^[8]

Sharjeel Imam started school in 1994 and was considered a bibliophile by his teachers. He was schooled at a missionary school in Patna, and later, Delhi Public School in Vasant Kunj. After completing high school in 2006, he studied computer engineering at IIT Bombay, from where he earned his bachelor's degree. After graduation, he spent two years in Bangalore, where he joined a software company. In 2013, he joined Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi to start his master's degree in Modern History, which he completed in 2015 and then started a PhD from the same university. ^{[8] [1]}

Career

Imam worked at the IT University of Copenhagen as a programmer for two months in 2009 and later worked as a teaching assistant at IIT Bombay. Thereafter, he worked as an engineer at Juniper Networks before returning to academics. ^{[9] [10]} Imam wrote articles for TRT World, ^[11] Firstpost, ^[12] The Quint, ^[13] and The Wire . ^[14]

Political activism

Imam was active in the anti-CAA protests and is believed to be the pioneer of the Shaheen Bagh sit-in protest. ^{[15] [16]} The police said that Imam made two "very inflammatory and instigatory speeches in his opposition to CAA and NRC" on 13 December 2019 and 16 January 2020. ^[17] The latter speech was 40 minutes long; ^[8] in a three-minute long viral video of that speech, Imam could be heard calling for Assam to be permanently "cut off" from the rest of India ^[18] by blocking the Siliguri Corridor also known as "Chicken's Neck", ^{[17] [8]} which he claimed was a call for a "chakka jam" — a sit-in protest that involves roadblock and stopping vehicular movements, also deployed at the Shaheen Bagh protest site. ^[19]

Several human rights activist and legal experts have suggested that the cases against Imam are fabricated. Aakar Patel, former head of Amnesty International India, stated that he does not find any part of Imam's speech seditious. ^[15] Citing the Brandenburg versus Ohio ruling, former Supreme Court Justice Markandey Katju came out in defence of Sharjeel, arguing for quashing of FIRs against him, saying that "he has not committed a crime", even though he disapproves of his speech. ^[20] Sharjeel's arrest was widely condemned by politicians, teachers, students, activists and other organizations. ^{[21] [22]} The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union said that his arrest is a matter of "Islamophobia, selective amnesia & bias" of the state apparatus. ^[23] JNU Teachers' Association alleged that the sedition charge was invoked due to "other reasons" and that it reflects "politicisation" of the conduct of law enforcement agencies. ^[24] One hundred and forty-eight students and alumni of various IITs (Indian Institutes of Technology) and over a hundred students from Jamia Millia Islamia, AMU and other state universities signed a letter in his support. ^[25] A group of students hailing from Bihar and studying in prominent institutions, including Jawaharlal Nehru University and IIT Delhi, wrote an open letter to RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav urging him to demand the release of Imam, highlighting Imam's contribution as an academic, student, historian and journalist. ^[26]

Over 50 activists were booked under sedition charges by Mumbai Police for raising slogans in support of Sharjeel Imam at a Pride Solidarity gathering in February 2020. ^[27]

Cases filed by different states

Five Indian states have filed various cases against Imam includes Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Delhi. ^{[28] [8]}

• On 25 January 2020, Assam Police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Imam for his alleged hate speech under section 13 (1)/18 of UA(P)ACT read with section 153A, 153B and 124A of Indian Penal Code (IPC). ^{[29] [28]}
• On the same day, Aligarh Police in Uttar Pradesh also registered case against Imam for sedition and creating enmity between two groups. ^[28]
• Manipur police also filed an FIR against Imam for waging war against the Indian government, sedition, indulging in vilification, attacks on a particular group or conspiracy to commit offences. The police filed the FIR for his remarks of "cut off" northeast from rest of the country under FIR number 16(1)2020 IPC under sections 121/121-A/124-A/120-B/153 IPC. ^[28]
• On 26 January 2020, Arunachal Pradesh's Itanagar police filed a FIR against Imam under section 124(A), 153(A) and 153(B) of the Indian Penal Code for sedition, promoting enmity between groups. ^[28]
• The Delhi police filed an FIR under Indian Penal Code's section 153 in addition to the charges of sedition and promoting religious enmity. ^[28]

Prison

On 28 January 2020, Sharjeel Imam surrendered to Delhi police in his native Village KAKO while he was live on his Facebook before surrendering, for allegedly delivering inflammatory speeches against Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC). He was also booked under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. ^[30] After his arrest, he was taken to Assam and is held in Guwahati Central Jail. ^[31] Whilst in prison, he was infected with COVID-19 and tested positive for it on 21 July 2020. ^[31]

On 29 July 2020, Delhi Court had issued a summon against Imam in the case related to his alleged inflammatory speech. Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana, after viewing the charge-sheet filed against Imam under UAPA, asked him to appear in court on 1 September 2020. The court took this decision due to the coronavirus pandemic and said that if the physical appearance of Imam is not possible then he can be presented via video-conferencing. ^[32]

In April 2022, a District Court in Delhi denied bail to Imam in a case alleging a "larger conspiracy" into the 2020 Delhi riots, involving charges under UAPA and Indian Penal Code, stating that the allegations were "prima facie true". ^{[33] [34]} In September 2020, Imam was granted bail in a case alleging that he delivered a seditious speech near Jamia Millia Islamia in 2019. ^[35]

In May 2024, Imam was granted bail in the case pertaining to his speeches made during the protests against Citizenship Amendment Act by the Delhi High Court. However, he remains in jail in alleged connection with the larger conspiracy case involving Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) charges related to the 2020 Delhi riot. ^[36]

See also

• 2020 Delhi riots
• Umar Khalid
• Meeran Haider
• Safoora Zargar

References

1. Swaroop, Vijay (29 January 2020). "Sharjeel Imam, a 'quiet, bright' student now in the limelight". Hindustan Times . Archived from the original on 22 July 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
2. "Who is Sharjeel Imam and why is he charged with sedition?". The Hindu . 30 January 2020. Archived from the original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
3. "Sharjeel Imam". Front Line Defenders. 2 July 2020. Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
4. Citizenship Amendment Bill: India's new 'anti-Muslim' law explained Archived 12 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine , BBC News, 11 December 2019.
5. "Sharjeel Imam chargesheeted in seditious speech case". The Economic Times . 18 April 2020. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
6. "Anti-CAA protests | Sharjeel Imam chargesheeted for giving seditious speech, says police". The Hindu . 4 December 2021. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023.
7. "'Speeches mobilised the public': Delhi court denies bail to Sharjeel Imam". The Indian Express . 18 February 2024. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024.
8. Khan, Fatima (28 January 2020). "Sharjeel Imam, the IIT graduate in JNU who called out Left's 'Islamophobia'". ThePrint. Archived from the original on 22 July 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
9. "The commitment to fight Islamophobia and promote equal citizenship: A portrait of Sharjeel Imam". The Polis Project. 21 September 2020. Archived from the original on 8 February 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
10. "Scholar, IT pro, scribe, fanatic? Sharjeel Imam unravelled". Outlook India. 30 January 2020. Archived from the original on 28 February 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
11. "Sharjeel Imam, Author at TRT World". TRT World. Archived from the original on 24 July 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
12. "Sharjeel Imam, Author at Firstpost". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 25 January 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
13. "Sharjeel Imam, Author at The Quint". The Quint. Archived from the original on 19 March 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
14. "Sharjeel Imam, Author at The Wire". The Wire . Archived from the original on 24 July 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
15. Abdulla, Shaheen; Zaffar, Hanan (5 February 2022). "Indian Muslim activist completes two years in jail for a speech". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 26 May 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
16. "Sharjeel Imam completes 1000 days in prison". Maktoob media. 22 October 2022. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
17. "Delhi Police books Shaheen Bagh protest organiser Sharjeel Imam for 'inflammatory speech'". ThePrint . 26 January 2020. Archived from the original on 22 July 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
18. "Sharjeel Imam's Speech Was Wild and Irresponsible, But Was It 'Sedition'?". The Wire. Archived from the original on 18 May 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
19. Saha, Abhishek (22 July 2020). "Student activist Sharjeel Imam tests positive for Covid-19 in Guwahati jail". The Indian Express . Archived from the original on 22 July 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
20. "Disapprove of Sharjeel Imam's Speech, But He Hasn't Committed a Crime, Says Markandey Katju". News18. 27 January 2020. Archived from the original on 20 November 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
21. Fatima, Nikhat (2 June 2020). "Opposition parties condemn arrest of activists, scholars, call for 'united political movement'". TwoCircles.net. Archived from the original on 17 November 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
22. Fatima, Nikhat (5 May 2020). "South Asian organisations in US accuse BJP of vendetta politics to persecute Muslims". TwoCircles.net. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
23. "Sharjeel Imam arrest: Arrest shows Islamophobia and selective amnesia of state, says JNUSU". India Today. 28 January 2020. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
24. "Sharjeel Imam's arrest in sedition case due to other reasons: JNUTA". India Today. 29 January 2020. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
25. Sharma, Kritika (28 January 2020). "Sharjeel Imam comments 'cherry-picked' — IIT students, alumni say he is being victimised". ThePrint. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
26. Fatima, Nikhat (3 October 2020). "Bihar students write open letter to RJD, urge to break silence on incarceration of Sharjeel Imam, Meeran Haider". TwoCircles.net. Archived from the original on 17 November 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
27. "Booked for Pro-Sharjeel Slogan, Court Now Rejects Bail to Kris". TheQuint. 3 February 2020. Archived from the original on 4 February 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
28. "From IIT-B to JNU to Shaheen Bagh: Who is Sharjeel Imam?". Hindustan Times . 28 January 2020. Archived from the original on 23 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
29. "Assam police file case against former JNU student Sharjeel Imam". The Hindu. 25 January 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
30. "No immediate Supreme Court relief for anti-CAA activist Sharjeel Imam". The Hindu . 26 May 2020. Archived from the original on 22 July 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
31. Saha, Abhishek (22 July 2020). "Student activist Sharjeel Imam tests positive for Covid-19 in Guwahati jail". Indian Express . Archived from the original on 22 July 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
32. "Delhi court takes cognisance of chargesheet filed under UAPA against Sharjeel Imam". Business World. 29 July 2020. Archived from the original on 24 July 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
33. Khan, Aamir (11 April 2022). "[BREAKING] Sharjeel Imam denied bail in Delhi Riots case" . Bar and Bench. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
34. Staff Reporter (11 April 2022). "Delhi court denies bail to Sharjeel Imam in larger conspiracy case". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X. Archived from the original on 12 April 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
35. "Sharjeel Imam granted bail in Jamia case". The Indian Express . 30 September 2022. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
36. "Sharjeel Imam gets bail in sedition case, to stay in jail in UAPA case". Maktoob media. 29 May 2024. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 26 November 2024.

Further reading

• Sharma, Suparna (4 February 2020). "Shaheen Bagh: how the peaceful protest became a 'mudda' for bjp". Asian Age . Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
• Aswani, Tarushi (16 July 2021). "Accused Of Sedition, Terrorism For A Speech, JNU Student Steadfast After 535 Days In Jail". Article 14. Archived from the original on 25 November 2021.