Jailed activist and student leader, Sharjeel Imam, will contest the Bihar Assembly Elections set to occur in October or November this year.
The former JNU student has been in jail since January 28, 2020, under sedition and the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), during the intense nationwide protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
According to Scroll.in reports, he is considering seeking to contest the elections from the Bahadurganj constituency in Kishanganj district as an independent candidate. The seat is currently held by Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Mohammad Anzar Nayeemi.
He hails from Kako village of Jehanabad district in Bihar.
His candidacy is likely to draw both national attention and controversy, particularly in a politically sensitive region like Kishanganj.
Sharjeel Imam’s incarceration
According to the Delhi Police allegations, Sharjeel Imam’s speeches sparked protests at Jamia Millia Islamia and contributed to rising tensions ahead of the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots. He had been booked in connection with both the conspiracy case related to the violence and the Jamia protest case.
Imam also participated in the Shaheen Bagh protest, an impactful 100-day peaceful sit-in in New Delhi organised in response to the passing of the CAA by the Indian Parliament in December 2019. He is said to have received bail, both regular and statutory in six other cases involving UAPA and sedition charges.
Last year, Maktoob Media published an article by Imam written from the confines of the jail where he mentioned that he had anticipated his arrest for protesting against the Union government’s policies but certainly did not expect to be labelled as a ‘terrorist’.
“I have already spent nearly four years in jail, and while I did anticipate being imprisoned on trumped-up charges due to my involvement in Shaheen Bagh, I had mentally prepared myself for it. What I did not expect, however, was to be accused of “terrorism,” especially for riots that occurred a month after my arrest. This speaks to the lengths the current regime will go to to suppress dissent and keep people like me behind bars,” Sharjeel Imam wrote.
He is currently lodged in the Guwahati Central Jail in Assam.
