Muslim research scholar arrested in India for ‘sedition’

Sharjeel Imam, a Muslim research scholar of Delhi’s prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University, has been arrested from his hometown – Bihar’s Jehenabad on charges of sedition, local media reported.

Sharjeel Imam was booked for sedition after a video of him allegedly making anti-national comments was widely circulated online. His arrest took place hours after the Bihar police pickedup his brother for questioning, NDTV repoted.

Sharjeel Imam will be brought to Delhi after which his questioning will begin, sources said.

His family, sources said, has denied the allegations of sedition, saying his comments were taken out of context.  Appearing before the media earlier today, his mother said he was “not a law-breaker and would surrender to the investigating agencies”.

“Nobody should do anything that is not in the interest of the nation. The accusations and the arrest – the court will decide on the matter,” Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was quoted as saying by news agency ANI after the arrest.

A sedition case was registered against Sharjeel Imam in Delhi for his alleged call to sever the whole of the northeast from the rest of India after the imposition of the Citizenship Amendment Act or CAA. He is also wanted in other states, including Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.