Sharjeel Imam sent to judicial custody till March 3

The Delhi police has named Sharjeel Imam as an "instigator" in its chargesheet filed against 17 people in a case related to violence during protests against the amended citizenship law at New Friends Colony near Jamia Millia Islamia university last year. 

The accused, none of whom are students from Jamia, have been charged with rioting, attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy and other offences under the Indian Penal Code.

The chargesheet was filed before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Gurmohina Kaur, who sent Imam to judicial custody till March 3 after he was produced in the court on expiry of his custodial interrogation on Tuesday.

Imam was arrested in the case, after an accused in the December 15 violence had alleged that he was provoked by Imam's speeches made during a protest, court sources said.

While citing statement of one of the protesters, Mohd Furkan, the police said in the chargesheet that "the atmosphere was highly surcharged due to CAA protest and violent incidents of rioting in Jamia.

"On that day, one Sharjeel Imam, student of JNU also gave provocative speeches against CAA and due to the same he (Furkan) and his associates were also frenzied and involved in protest."

In view of the above disclosure, the role of Imam will be further probed during the supplementary charge sheet, the police said.

Furkan, 26, has also been arrested in the case on the basis of CCTV footage, along with other accused.

The probe is still on to ascertain his role and other aspects of the case, the charge sheet said.

The chargesheet has been filed under various sections, including 307 (attempt to murder), 147 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy).

The accused are also charged with certain sections of the Arms Act.

So far 17 people have been arrested in the case, out of which nine are from New Friends Colony while eight are from Jamia area, the agency said, adding that all of them are locals and no student has been chargesheeted.

It said the police has attached CCTV footage, call detail records and statements of over 100 witnesses as evidence in the charge sheet.

The investigation has revealed that empty bullet cartridges found during the violence belong to a 3.2 mm pistol.

The police said it is likely to release more photographs for identification of those involved in rioting.

According to police, 95 people were injured during the violance, out of which 47 were police officials.

Six buses and three private vehicles damaged during the rioting, it said.

The court had on Monday sent Imam to one-day custody of Delhi Police in the case.

Imam, who came into the limelight during the ongoing protests at Shaheen Bagh here against the CAA and the National Register of Citizens, was arrested from Bihar's Jehanabad on January 28 in a separate case for allegedly making inflammatory speeches at the Jamia Millia Islamia University here and in Aligarh.

A case had been registered against him on sedition and other charges on January 26 in this regard.

During the December 15 violence, police used batons and teargas shells to disperse the mob which torched vehicles and clashed with security personnel in New Friends Colony near Jamia Millia Islamia.

The police entered the Jamia university campus, saying that rioters had taken shelter there. However, the Jamia students had denied that they were involved in the violence and had alleged police brutality.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Chinmoy Biswal had said groups of people, who were coming from the Jamia side, gathered near New Friends' Colony and blocked the road. The protesters, around 1,500, did not pay heed to the police appeals to clear the area.

The protest was being held against the contentious law which seeks to provide citizenship to non-Muslims religious minorities from three neighbouring countries who arrived in India to escape religious persecution before 2015.