Earlier in the day, the Delhi High Court partially overturned the trial court’s February order to discharge 9 of the 11 accused, including Sharjeel Imam and Safoor Zargar, in a case related to the violence that took place at Jamia Millia Islamia in December 2019.
Partially reversing the trial court order, the bench of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma charged accused Mohd Qasim, Mahmood Anwar, Shazar Raza, Umair Ahmed, Mohd Bilal Nadeem, Sharjeel Imam, Safoora Zargar, and Chanda Yadav under different sections related to rioting and unlawful assembly.
While pronouncing the verdict, the judge said the right to peaceful assembly is subject to reasonable restrictions and that acts of violence or ‘violent speeches’ are not protected.
Notably, besides the 2019 Jamia violence case, Sharjeel Imam is charged under the stringent UAPA in the conspiracy case related to the February 2020 Delhi anti-Hindu riots. He is also facing other cases for the speeches he gave during the anti-CAA protests, including instigating Islamists to cut off North Eastern region from the rest of the country by blocking the ‘chicken’s neck’ in North Bengal.
Meanwhile, Safoora Zargar was booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for her alleged role in the conspiracy that led to the Delhi Riots in February 2020. She was arrested in April 2020. The Delhi Police had claimed that she was part of the conspiracy to “destroy, destabilize and disintegrate the Government of India to compel to withdraw the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the alleged National Register of Citizens.” The Delhi High Court granted bail to Safoora Zargar in the Delhi Riots case in June 2020 on humanitarian grounds.
Despite all the serious charges levelled against Sharjeel Imam and Safoora Zargar, they are no less than ‘heroes’ for the assorted bunch of liberal ideologues and leftist portals who, since their arrests, have tried their best to exonerate them from all allegations and paint them as victims of the growing ‘Islamophobia’ in India.
The adulation of these leftist liberals for their foot soldiers is so strong that they have gone so far as to pass off the seditious speeches by Sharjeel Imam, a former JNU student and columnist for the leftist propaganda website The Wire, as ‘freedom of speech’ and gone on to question the sanctity of motherhood held by Indians while criticising the Indian political class and judiciary for Safoora’s incarceration.
Today, as the Delhi HC overturns clean-chit to Sharjeel Imam and Safoora Zargar, let us recall how this motley crew of ‘liberals’ rallied behind the two after their arrest and portrayed them as India’s heroes.
The defence presented for Sharjeel Imam- the blue-eyed boy of the liberal ideologues and leftist portals
A day after Shaheen Bagh mastermind Sharjeel Imam was booked under the UAPA for his seditious statement where he urged Indian Muslims to cut off Northeast from India, Newslaundry campus columnist Sharjeel Usmani took to social media to stand by leftist propaganda website The Wire columnist Sharjeel Imam for his seditious comments.
Taking to Facebook, Usmani questioned how is ‘chakkajam’ (roadblock) seditious. He conveniently missed out on mentioning how Sharjeel Imam wanted to cut out Northeast India. Sharjeel Usmani decided to paint cutting off the chicken neck, or the Siliguri corridor, which connects the seven northeastern states to the rest of India, as a mere chakkajam when it has been known to be an enemy project to do so for decades.
Sharjeel Usmani further took to Facebook to declare his love for Sharjeel Imam. “If you throw Sharjeel Imam under the bus to gain a little more legitimacy of these protests in the eyes of the state, I’ll jump with him,” he said.
Afreen Fatima, a JNU student and JNUSU Councillor, too, took to Facebook to stand by Imam. Referring to him as her ‘leader’, Fatima said that media trials, false cases and hate campaigns will not silence ‘our brother’.
Unapologetic Muslim with thousands of Ideas is the fear of Indian Government. Sharjeel Imam’s targeting is sheer Islamophobia by the Government of India.#ISupportSharjeelimam
— Afreen Fatima (@AfreenFatima136) January 25, 2020
‘Political activist’ Ali Sohrab, who used to earlier refer to himself as a journalist and was arrested for his hateful comments on slain Hindu leader Kamlesh Tiwari, also expressed his solidarity.
Jamia ‘Sheroes’ had also chimed in and supported Sharjeel Imam.
The Quint’s journalist Aditya Menon, infamously known for passing off an image from Syria as from Kashmir had also attempted to rationalise Shaheen Bagh mastermind Sharjeel Imam’s secessionist and violent remarks by equating them with the ISI propaganda of blockades imposed in Kashmir by Hindu organisations in 2008.
Watering down Imam’s dangerously secessionist speech, Menon argued that the former JNU student had simply asked for a “chakka jam or a blockade of the highways and railways leading to Assam”. However, in his pursuit to defend Imam, Menon cunningly drew a parallel with the Amarnath agitation in 2008 when Hindu organisations had allegedly blocked the Jammu-Srinagar highway. Menon stated that if that wasn’t considered sedition, then Imam’s call to block the roads and railways leading to Assam should not be considered separatist either.
#Video | “JNU student #SharjeelImam is calling for a blockade, like what Hindutva outfits did to Kashmir in 2008 Amarnath agitation. If that wasn’t sedition, this isn’t either,” says @AdityaMenon22.https://t.co/aisiN4OC0f
— The Quint (@TheQuint) January 28, 2020
“To all the “liberals” baying for Sharjeel Imam’s arrest under “sedition” – you’re no different from the Sangh. If you believe that a stupid speech is a sedition, there is ZERO difference between you & the fascists. I hope u r happy now. When they come for you, do remember this,” TMC leader Saket Gokhale, recently arrested by ED in a crowdfunding case, tweeted in 2020 showing solidarity with Imam.
To all the “liberals” baying for Sharjeel Imam’s arrest under “sedition” – you’re no different from the sangh.
— Saket Gokhale (@SaketGokhale) January 26, 2020
If you believe that a stupid speech is sedition, there is ZERO difference between you & the fascists.
I hope u r happy now. When they come for you, do remember this. https://t.co/6e44PFq8IO
‘Journalist’ Rana Ayyub, who has been accused of financial fraud, had also posted a tweet in support of ‘scholar’ Sharjeel Imam trying her best to portray him as a hero and a victim of hate due to his religious identity.
Worldview in a cell: a Muslim political prisoner’s insight . Scholar Sharjeel Imam writes this letter from Tihar jailhttps://t.co/kyNT3Qyy0r
— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) September 26, 2022
Hindu privilege. FIR will be filed against Sharjeel Imam and Dr. Kafeel Khan while Anurag Thakur and his ilk will be allowed to spill blood on the streets. Fuck politeness. https://t.co/pvDWdLm5c4
— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) January 30, 2020
Sharjeel Imam radicalised by reading books by politcal scientist Paul Brass. This is @DelhiPolice for you. This country is a living, breathing Handmaid’s tale. Why the f@$%^ are we silent ? https://t.co/BdZvWpQD4T
— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) September 22, 2020
Arfa Khanum Sherwani of The Wire also tweeted in 2020, showing solidarity with Sharjeel Imam and with the likes of him who had lobbied against the Citizenship Amendment Act and incited Muslims to wage a war against India.
Not in our country.
— Arfa Khanum Sherwani (@khanumarfa) June 3, 2020
Not on our watch. #sabyaadrakhajaega
#SabYaadRakhaJayega pic.twitter.com/uTtbjbKcVf
Not just these ‘liberals’ but the leftist media had also worked overtime to paint Sharjeel Imam as a hero by attributing reverent phrases like ‘activist’ and ‘scholar’ to him.
How Safoora Zargar was painted as a victim by the leftist brigade
Like Sharjeel Imam, Safoora Zargar also received unconditional support from the leftist brigade and their friendly media, despite knowing that she was arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for arranging a flash protest at Jafrabad Metro Station in Delhi on February 22, 2020, that later culminated into full-scale communal riots, leaving 53 killed and countless others injured.
Following her arrest, Safoora Zargar and her legal aides tried to pull out the ‘pregnancy’ card as grounds for seeking bail, which the court refused. Deflated by the courts’ refusal to grant Safoora bail, the liberal intelligentsia had a hard time stomaching the reality of the law having caught up with one of their foot soldiers and went on an overdrive to defend Safoora.
The leftist propaganda website ‘The Wire’ published an article titled- ‘Safoora Zargar Case Lays Bare How Superficial India’s Respect for Motherhood Is’ which called into question the sanctity of motherhood held by Indians while criticising the Indian political class and judiciary for the continued incarceration of Safoora who is 21-weeks into her pregnancy.
Zargar, while leading an anti-CAA protest at Jafrabad Metro station on February 22, was well-aware and conscious of the fact that she was pregnant and on her path to attaining motherhood, yet her pregnancy had become a focal point of liberal discourse to paint her as a hapless woman squaring up against a repressive regime bent on punishing her.
Not just these leftist media portals but several members of the liberal coterie, including ‘journalist’ Sagarika Ghose, Radio Mirchi RJ Sayema, ‘Journalist’ Arfa Khanum Sherwani, who does not leave an opportunity to play her Muslim victimhood card, had descended on the microblogging site Twitter to show solidarity with Safoora using the ‘pregnancy card’ while demanding her bail.
Jamia student #safoorazargar is pregnant, in no position to destroy evidence, had been protesting a law as is her Constitution-given democratic right. Charging her under draconian #UAPA, now denying her bail is not just remorseless but even de-humanises a young woman pic.twitter.com/jTaaX0xEHi
— Sagarika Ghose (@sagarikaghose) June 5, 2020
When you outrage over injustice to a pregnant elephant but show no concerns about injustice to a jailed pregnant Muslim woman, you don’t show your sensitivity but only expose your hypocrisy. #MuslimLivesMatter
— Arfa Khanum Sherwani (@khanumarfa) June 4, 2020
Dear Safoora,
— Sayema (@_sayema) June 5, 2020
We failed you. But hang in there. Injustice isn’t permanent. Justice will defeat it soon. I shall keep hoping that the sun rises. And it shall. Sooner. Imaan mazboot rakhna. You are always in my prayers. We haven’t met but I have learnt abt ur grit.
Love
Jamia ‘Sheroes’ had also chimed in and supported Safoora Zargar.
A police system so depraved that they implicate a pregnant student as main conspirator in a made-up case….what a disgrace#ReleaseSafooraZargar https://t.co/KmDszQwfMM
— ️Ladeeda Farzana (@ladeedafarzana) June 22, 2020
Basically, for these assorted bunch of liberal ideologues, the criminality or innocence of Sharjeel Imam or for that matter Safoora Zargar was never the concern. All they cared about is safeguarding the top liberal mandarins who are equally, if not less, culpable of inciting violent anti-CAA protests.
