After Assam and Uttar Pradesh police, the Delhi police on Sunday registered an FIR against Sharjeel Imam, an activist who came to the limelight during the ongoing protests in Shaheen Bagh for allegedly delivering inflammatory speeches against the amended Citizenship Act and the National Register of Citizens, officials said.
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According to the police, Mr. Imam, a resident of Bihar and a former Jawaharlal Nehru University student, delivered “inflammatory and instigating speeches expressing his opposition to CAA and NRC”. Police have videos of his speeches that he had delivered at Shaheen Bagh and outside Jamia Millia Islamia.
Widely circulated
“His speeches are widely circulated on social media and police have received five complaints. The matter was discussed with senior police officers and after getting their approval, an FIR was registered at Crime Branch police station,” they said.
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These speeches have the “potential to harm the religious harmony” and the unity and integrity of India, for which the case was registered against him, police said.
He reportedly said that if he can organise five lakh people, it would become possible to “permanently cut off Assam with the rest of India...if not permanently, then at least for a few months”.
A case against Mr. Imam under IPC Sections 124A (an offence by words, either spoken or written causes disaffection against government established by law), 153A (promoting enmity between different religious groups with an intent to create disharmony) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) has been registered, the Delhi police said.
Cases in other States
A case of sedition was also lodged against Mr. Imam on Saturday for a speech he delivered on the Aligarh Muslim University campus on January 16. Besides this, the Assam police had filed an FIR under the anti-terror law against him for his speech.