NEW DELHI: The Assam police have registered a case against former Jawaharlal Nehru University student Sharjeel Imam, the alleged mastermind of Shaheen Bagh protest.“An FIR has been lodged against Sharjeel Imam for his speech and inter alia commission of offence under Section 13 (1)/18 of the UA(P)Act read with Section 153 A, 153 B and 124 A IPC at Guwahati Crime Branch Police Station,” said GP Singh, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order).
Earlier, in the day, the BJP-led coalition government said it will file a case against Imam for his alleged statement that Assam will be carved out of India. Assam’s Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the “vicious” statement was made to create a law and order situation in the state.
“This is a vicious statement. The statement is aimed at creating a law and order situation in Assam. A lot of wrongs have been said that Bengali Hindus and Muslims are being killed (in Assam). So, taking cognizance of the statement, the state government has decided to register a case against this particular individual. We are going to pursue this case and bring this person to law so that he can be punished,” Sarma told journalists at a press conference. A video containing the statement, allegedly made by Sharjeel Imam, was aired by a news channel. The Assam Minister said after verifying its authenticity, the state government decided to file the case.