JNU summons Sharjeel Imam before 3 Feb, tells research scholar to explain position on 'provocative speeches'

New Delhi: The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) chief proctor has summoned research scholar Sharjeel Imam, who has been booked on sedition and other charges in several states, to appear before him and explain his position on the alleged provocative speeches made by him. [caption id=“attachment_7956661” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Sharjil Imam. ANI[/caption] Imam, who was one of the initial organisers of Shaheen Bagh protests, has been asked to appear before the Proctorial Committee by 3 February. “A security report dated 27 January against Sharjeel Imam, has been received in the chief proctor’s office from the office of chief security officer. The report has cited media reports saying Imam made provocative speeches at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) threatening the unity, integrity and sovereignty of the country upheld by the Constitution,” JNU Registrar Pramod Kumar said. “The report also refers to several FIRs lodged against Imam by police of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and some other states,” he added. Imam, a PhD students at the varsity’s Centre for Historical Studies, has been booked in sedition cases lodged across several states for his alleged “inflammatory” speeches, in which he threatened to “cut off” Assam and the northeast from the rest of the country, made during protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act . A case against Imam under IPC sections 124 A (an offence by words, either spoken or written causes disaffection against Government established by law), 153 A (promoting enmity between different religious groups with an intent to create disharmony) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) was registered by the Delhi police on Sunday. Also, a case of sedition was lodged against him on Saturday for a speech he delivered on the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) campus on 16 January. The Assam police has also filed an FIR under the anti-terror law UAPA against Imam for his speech.