New Delhi: Posters expressing solidarity with JNU student, Sharjeel Imam were seen during the protests held at Delhi against the citizenship law. Imam is facing charges of sedition.

Some of the protesters, who were holding up the posters, said, ‘Stop vilification and express solidarity with Sharjeel Imam.’ It may be recalled that Imam was arrested after a video of his went viral where he calls for splitting north-east from India.

Seeking international attention:

During the investigation, the police learnt that Imam was in favour of large scale violence. He had sought to grab media attention. Imam was looking to provoke the Muslims and fan large scale violence, Delhi Police sources probing the matter told MyNation.

The pamphlet recovered from Imam’s laptop calls on Muslims to disrupt Delhi. These pamphlets were distributed in mosques on December 15. Incidentally, a day later the violence in Delhi took place. 

The police say that there was a pattern in which Imam went about his business. His prime intention was to misguide the Muslims and then provoke them. He made a speech at Jamia and then at Aligarh. He tried to suggest that the Assam-Bihar border could be blocked to cut off access for the central forces to the North East.
His main intention was to create large scale violence across the country and grab international attention. The intelligence agencies have been saying for sometime now that there are several radical elements who are trying to use the citizenship issue to provoke and get other nations to meddle in India.

A call for all Muslims:

The pamphlet prepared by Imam says that Kashmir, Babri and now CAB. There are more than enough grounds for a strong reaction from the Muslims across India. Thousands of Muslims are ready to disrupt Delhi, which will give international media attention to our issue.

The police say that this is a deliberate attempt to provoke the Muslims. He was successful in causing violence through his mis-information campaign. In the aftermath of the Ram Mandir verdict by the Supreme Court, not a single incident of violence was reported. However, Imam sought to rake up the Babri issue after the citizenship law was amended. 

It becomes clear that his primary intention was to provoke and misguide the Muslims. Not only did he call for cutting North East from India, but also lied that the citizenship law would affect the Muslims in India. This is not a fact.

To be booked for violence:

The Special Investigation Team is now likely to book Imam for violence in connection with two cases. The police would also invoke charges of criminal conspiracy. The police say that he was a volunteer at the Shaheen Bagh protests until January 2.

The police say that he called people and instigated them. This is what led to large scale violence, the police also said. Imam has now been booked under Section 124A (sedition), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth etc) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief). The Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh Police have also booked him for alleged sedition.

Afzal Guru rises:

Amidst all these protests, the Afzal Guru issue has come to the forefront yet again. An aide of Imam, Afreen Fatima appealed to revisit Afzal Guru again and again. She wrote on Twitter, “Read the verdict again and again. Never forget.”

It may be recalled that a video was shared on social media, in which she is heard calling Afzal Guru innocent. Pro Afzal Guru chants have very often come up. A few years ago, an event in support of Afzal Guru was organised at the JNU.

Afzal Guru was convicted in the 2001 Parliament attack case. In 2004, the Supreme Court confirmed his conviction and awarded the death sentence. On February 9 2013, he was hanged and buried at the Tihar Jail. Nine persons were killed in the ghastly Parliament attack that took place on December 13, 2001.