Delhi police on Tuesday arrested anti-citizenship-law activist Sharjeel Imam from his village in Jehanabad, Bihar, in connection with a sedition case for alleged inflammatory speeches the JNU PhD scholar had made, officials said.
Cases had been registered against Sharjeel after videos that purportedly showed him making anti-national comments.
“He was arrested after raids with the help of Bihar police on Tuesday afternoon from his village in Jehanabad for causing disaffection towards state and giving a speech which was seditious in nature,” Rajesh Deo, DC (crime branch), said.
The DCP said Sharjeel had been booked for sedition on the basis of two videos — one on December 13 for making hate speeches and inciting violence from Jamia Millia Islamia and the other from AMU on January 16. The speeches have the “potential to harm religious harmony and the unity and integrity of India”, Deo added.
Asked if the police were planning to take action over hate speeches by junior finance minister Anurag Thakur and BJP Delhi poll candidate Kapil Mishra, Deo said: “This is beyond our area of investigation.”
On Monday, Thakur was heard egging BJP supporters to chant: “Desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro saalon ko (Shoot the traitors).” Mishra had chanted the same slogan at a procession last month.
