Sharjeel Imam is a graduate in Computer Science from IIT Bombay and a PhD student in the Department of History and Culture at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. He has been charged with sedition in five different states and accused of instigating the Jamia Millia anti-CAA violence on December 15.
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Wiki/Biography
Sharjeel Imam was born in Kako, Jehanabad and brought up in Patna and Jehanabad districts of Bihar in 1988 (age 35 years; as of 2023). After attending St. Xavier’s High School in Patna, he moved to Delhi where he completed his intermediate education from Delhi Public School, Vasant Kunj in 2006. Imam has always been brilliant in studies; He was successful in cracking the JEE entrance exam in his first attempt, hence, he secured a place for himself at IIT Bombay, where he studied in the B.Tech-M.Tech Integrated Program in Computer Science.
A 2007 photograph of Sharjeel Imam in his hostel room at IIT Bombay
During his college days at IIT Bombay, Imam worked as a freelance programmer for the IT University of Copenhagen, Denmark for a period of two months. In the final year of graduation, he was also given a chance to work as a teaching assistant at IIT Bombay. After completing his graduation in July 2011, Imam was hired as a software engineer at “Juniper Networks”, an American multinational company, where he worked for two years before leaving the job in February 2013. The seven-year period that Imam spent in IIT Bombay and the corporate sector forced him to believe that propaganda and prejudice against the Muslim community was widely spread and carried on by misinformed people. , and partly because of the nominal presence of Muslims in the upper echelons (referring to the IITs and the corporate sector) there was no one to convince. With this preconceived idea, Imam decided to leave his job, and pursue further studies at JNU, which he considered the center of secularism. In 2013, he joined JNU for MA in Modern History. During his long student career at JNU, he completed MPhil in Modern Indian History in 2017. After MPhil, he started pursuing his PhD in Modern Indian History. After entering JNU, Imam was immediately attracted to the leftist student groups of the university. He joined the largest leftist party ‘All India Students Association’ (AISA) in 2013, and also contested elections as their candidate for the post of councilor and ultimately left the party in 2015, soon after the Najeeb Ahmed disappearance incident. .
Physical Appearance
Height (Approx): 5′ 7″
Hair Color: Black
Eye colour: black
family and caste
Family Background (Religion and Caste)
Sharjeel Imam is from a Muslim family.
Guardian
Sharjeel Imam’s father, Syed Akbar Imam was a local politician and a close associate of Nitish Kumar (politician). His father also contested the 2005 Bihar Assembly elections on JDU party ticket, in which he lost to SN Yadav (RJD) by 447 votes. Sharjeel’s father later died of bone cancer in 2014. His mother Afshan Rahim is a housewife.
Afshan Rahim, mother of Sharjeel Imam
He has a younger brother, Muzammil Imam, a local politician and a social worker who studied for a Masters in Journalism and Mass Communication at Amity University. Sharjeel and Muzammil are said to be closely associated with politicians from Jehanabad, including former Jehanabad MP Arun Kumar.
February 2018 photo of Sharjeel Imam with younger brother Muzammil Imam and former Jehanabad MP Arun Kumar
Shaheen Bagh protest and ‘Chakka Jam’
After the implementation of CAB in India, protests against this bill started intensifying in Delhi also. Sharjeel resorted to blocking roads at various places under the pretext of ‘Chakka Jam’ as part of the protest. Afreen Fatima, one of Sharjeel’s friends, said during her speech in JNU-
From day one, Sharjeel has talked about how our protests can attract the attention of the government and civil society. The government does not care about us, especially the Muslims, so its call for ‘Chakka Jam’ was just an attempt. To get the government to listen to us, and the concept behind the Shaheen Bagh protests stemmed from that idea.
After organizing several anti-CAA protests and participating in the Shaheen Bagh protests, he soon became the poster boy of the anti-CAA protests in Delhi. Sharjeel was reportedly among the anti-CAA protesters on the evening of December 15, when suddenly the protest at Jamia Millia University turned violent and the crowd went wild and started pelting stones at Delhi Police, setting several vehicles on fire. Public and private properties were damaged in the violence. Sharjeel’s name emerged in the charge sheet filed by Delhi Police as one of the main instigators who instigated the violence on December 15. According to Delhi Police, Sharjeel had inspired people to join and spread violence through his inflammatory speeches against the government. ‘Chakka Jam’ movement until they get justice.
Controversy
Sharjeel’s name has surfaced for giving inflammatory speeches on a regular basis at various places in Delhi and other states of India. Sharjeel absconded on January 25 after a video clip of his alleged controversial speech at Aligarh Muslim University went viral. In which he can be heard saying,
“Assam and India will be cut off from each other only when they will listen to us.”
He further explained in the video that by blocking the chicken’s neck (Siliguri corridor); The northeastern states, including Assam, may become isolated from the rest of the country.
After his video went viral on social media, several FIRs were registered against him in Delhi and four other states – Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. He was arrested on 28 January 2020 in a joint operation by Delhi Police and Bihar Police from the area of his ancestral home in Kako, Jehanabad.
JNU student Sharjeel Imam is being taken to his residence in New Delhi on Saturday to be produced before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Patiala House court.
However, Sharjeel claimed through his Twitter handle that he has surrendered before the police.
I have surrendered before Delhi Police on 28th 1st 2020 at 3 pm. I am ready and willing to cooperate in the investigation. I have full faith in the due process of law. My security is now in the hands of Delhi Police. May peace prevail. pic.twitter.com/fTKeWY5hb8
– Sharjeel Imam (@_imaams) 28 January 2020
Sharjeel was later charged under Indian Penal Code sections 124A (sedition), 153A (promoting or attempting to promote feelings of enmity or enmity on grounds of religion, race or place) and promoting enmity between different communities. A case was registered on charges of. birth, residence, language, caste or community or any other ground), and 505 (intention to incite persons belonging to any class or community to commit any offense against any other class or community). On 24 January 2022, a Delhi court framed charges against him for his inflammatory speeches during the anti-CAA protests in Delhi in 2019.
Facts/General Knowledge
- Sharjeel’s teachers remember him as an intelligent and talented student.
I don’t know anyone who had such a profound impact on Indian history. He could talk at length about Iqbal Ahmed and Allama Iqbal,” says Afreen Fatima, one of his JNU friends.
- Sharjeel has always had a keen interest in Islamic principles.
- In one of his articles on “Firstpost” (an Indian news and media website), Sharjeel Imam claimed that he was the only Muslim student among the 200 students in his class at IIT Bombay.
- Sharjeel has been studying in JNU since 2013.
- Sharjeel’s brother Muzammil Imam was also one of the coordinators of the Shaheen Bagh protests.
- Reportedly, Sherjeel has often been criticized by a section of the society for writing inflammatory articles in various magazines and online media portals, including “The Wire” and “Firstpost”.
- In one of his articles, Sharjeel has talked about the prejudiced experiences he faced during his IIT days.
- Sharjeel Imam’s name was mentioned in the charge sheet filed by Delhi Police after an accused in the December 15 violence claimed that he was instigated by Imam’s speeches.
- After his arrest, students of IIT and JNU came out in his support.
- On July 21, 2020, Sharjeel Imam, lodged in Guwahati jail, tested positive for COVID-19.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn