Booked on sedition charges, anti-CAA activist Sharjeel Imam arrested in Bihar

    29-Jan-2020
NEW DELHI, Jan 28 
Controversial JNU student and activist Sharjeel Imam, who is facing sedition charges for his allegedly inflammatory speeches during the anti-CAA protests in Shaheen Bagh, was on Tuesday arrested from Kako village of Bihar's Jehanabad district.
The Delhi Police Crime Branch team, which was camping in Bihar for the last three days, had raided some hideouts in Jehanabad and Patna. They were also questioning Imam's kin to get an idea about his whereabouts.
Police sources said Imam's cellphone was switched off since January 25 when he went underground fearing arrest. He was last seen in Bihar's Phulwarisharif between 7 pm and 8 pm on that day.
A top Delhi Police officer had earlier said on Monday that the police feared that Sharjeel Imam had fled to Nepal. "If he has sneaked into Nepal, then it will be very difficult to bring him to India," the police had said then.
According to a source in Delhi Police, Imam had practically disappeared from between their fingers. "Our teams were waiting for the right time to nab him. We had our eyes on him, but in the meantime, he disappeared."
In a video that went viral on January 25, Imam was seen talking about splitting the North East from India to block the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
"We know how Muslims are being treated in Assam. We have to save people from the NRC. The only way to do this is by cutting off North East from India," he was said to be saying.
The Crime Branch of the Delhi Police registered the case against Imam for this provocative video allegedly recorded on Republic Day.
Agencies