JNU proctor summons Sharjeel Imam over provocative speech

JNU Chief Proctor has directed Sharjeel Imam, a PhD student at Centre for Historical Studies, School of Social Sciences, to meet Proctorial Committee not later than February 3 to explain his position in connection with FIRs lodged against him by the police in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and other states.

New Delhi:After the police in several states filed FIR for sedition against Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Sharjeel Imam, the varsity proctor has summoned the research scholar to explain his position on the alleged provocative speech.

Imam has been asked to appear before the proctorial committee by February 3.

In his alleged "inflammatory" speech at Aligarh Muslim University on January 16, Imam threatened and urged people to "cut off" Assam and the northeast from the country. He was addressing a gathering against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

The Assam and the UP police have filed sedition cases against him. The UP Police and the Delhi Police have also been conducting searches to trace Imam. The Delhi Police also sent a team to his village Kako in the Jehanabad district of Bihar to search for him.

The Assam Police has also filed an FIR against him under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

The police carried out a raid at Imam's ancestral house in Jehanabad on Sunday night after the central agencies investigating the cases lodged against Imam sought help, said Manish Kumar, Jehanabad Superintendent of Police.

Imam is the son of late Akbar Imam a local Janata Dal-United leader who unsuccessfully contested an Assembly election.