Lodged in Guwahati jail, Sharjeel Imam tests positive for coronavirus
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) PhD student Sharjeel Imam, who is currently lodged in Assam's Guwahati Central Jail, has tested positive for COVID-19. Imam, who was been accused of making inflammatory speeches during the CAA-NRC-NPR protests, was tested before his scheduled transfer to Delhi. His transfer has now been stalled until he is cured of the viral disease. Here are more details.
Last Friday, a team of Delhi Police Special Cell had reached Guwahati to bring Imam back to the national capital, according to India Today. Before the transfer, Imam and the police team were reportedly screened for COVID-19 where the student activist was found positive for the viral disease. However, the police team has tested negative.
Imam has been booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). He has been accused of making inflammatory speeches which led to violence outside the Jamia Milia Islamia University in December last year. The violence occurred during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the National Register for Citizens (NRC), and the National Population Register (NPR).
In Delhi, Imam was booked on January 25 for sedition, promoting religious disharmony, etc. This investigation is linked to the funding of riots and a larger conspiracy. He will be transferred to Delhi on a production warrant and will be arrested by the Special Cell.
Last week, another activist, Akhil Gogoi, had tested positive for COVID-19 inside the Guwahati Central Jail. Gogoi, the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) chief, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for his alleged role in violent protests against the CAA. A total of 55 inmates tested positive, including KMSS leader Bittu Sonowal and Dhairjya Konwar, PTI reported last week.
India has reported a total of 11,55,191 cases of COVID-19, including 28,084 deaths and 7,24,578 recoveries. Assam is one of the states where the outbreak continues to worsen. As of Monday, the state had reported 25,092 cases, out of which, 7,936 are active. The death toll in the state is 58. In July alone, the state reported over 66% of its total cases.
