New Delhi, 22 October
A Delhi court on Friday denied bail to JNU student Sharjeel Imam for allegedly making provocative speeches and inciting violence in 2019, saying the speech was on communal lines and its content was “peace and harmony”. has a debilitating effect”.
According to the police, Imam allegedly made a provocative speech on December 13, 2019, which resulted in riots two days later when a mob of over 3,000 people attacked police personnel and torched several vehicles in Jamia Nagar.
Additional Sessions Judge Anuj Agarwal, while denying him bail, observed that a cursory reading of the speech shows that it was clearly on communal lines.
“The tone and tone of incendiary speech has a debilitating effect on public peace, the peace and harmony of society,” he said.
However, the judge said that the evidence in support of the allegations that the rioters were incited by Imam’s speech and that the rioters then indulged in acts of rioting, mischief, attacking the police party were scant and sketchy.
In addition, Imam is also accused of being the “mastermind” of the February 2020 Northeast Delhi riots, in which 53 people were killed and over 700 were injured. PTI