Chargesheet filed in Jamia violence case; Sharjeel Imam named 'instigator'
The Delhi Police has filed a chargesheet in connection with the mid-December violence at Jamia Millia Islamia. The chargesheet notably named Jawaharlal Nehru University Ph.D. scholar Sharjeel Imam as an "instigator." Imam faces sedition charges in a separate case. The violence at Jamia Millia Islamia occurred on December 15 during a protest against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act.
Police made 17 arrests in Jamia violence case
According to reports, the chargesheet was filed before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Gurmohina Kaur on February 13. The Delhi Police has reportedly attached CCTV footage, call records and statements from over 100 witnesses as evidence. The police said they had made 17 arrests in connection with the case, including nine locals from New Friends Colony and eight others from Jamia area, ANI reported.
No Jamia student chargesheeted, says police
The police clarified that no Jamia student has been chargesheeted. The police said its probe found empty bullet cartridges belonging to a 3.2 mm pistol during the violence. Further, the police said that it is investigating the extremist outfit Popular Front of India's (PFI) role.
What is the Jamia violence case?
On December 15, an anti-CAA protest at Jamia Millia Islamia turned violent, leaving at least 60 people injured, including students, cops, and firefighters. Four public buses and two police vehicles were torched in the New Friends' Colony. The police also stormed the Jamia campus, lobbing tear gas shells and baton-charging students. The students had then denied involvement in the violence and alleged police brutality.
Recently, CCTV footage depicting police brutality at students in Jamia's library went viral. The footage was reportedly from Jamia's Old Reading Hall (M Phil Section). Later, another video went viral which showed a group of people entering the Reading Room and barring the door with tables. The Delhi Police Special Investigation Team (SIT) is probing the videos.
Imam was arrested last month for sedition after a video of his speech at Aligarh Muslim University went viral. In the video, Imam is heard calling to "cut off Assam from India" by occupying the Chicken's Neck corridor (Siliguri Corridor). Imam later claimed he was "calling for a chakka jam." He has been sent to one-day Delhi Police custody in the Jamia violence case.
