Himanta welcomes SC's refusal to grant bail to activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam

Guwahati, Jan 5 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday welcomed the Supreme Court's refusal to grant bail to activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam for their alleged involvement in the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in New Delhi's Shaheen Bagh in 2020.

During the CAA agitation, they had given the slogan of 'Azadi' and one of them had also issued a threat of severing North East from the rest of the country, the chief minister alleged on the sidelines of a programme here.

''The bail plea of the member of the 'Tukde-Tukde Gang' who had threatened to secede the Northeast from India has been rejected by the Supreme Court and I welcome it,'' Sarma said.

This nation shall forever remain united, indivisible and strong, he added.

The Supreme Court earlier in the day refused to grant bail to activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the matter, saying there was a prima facie case against them under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The apex court, however, granted bail to five others, saying "hierarchy of participation" and saying all accused in the case do not stand on the same footing.

Imam was lodged for a few months in Guwahati Central Jail after he was arrested from Jehanabad in Bihar in January 2020 for his alleged involvement in anti-CAA protests during the COVID pandemic. He had also tested COVID positive and was admitted to a hospital here.

Imam, who was active in the Shaheen Bagh protests, was booked under sedition laws for his speech where he allegedly said that Assam should be cut off from the rest of the country. He was later taken to New Delhi and lodged in Tihar Jail. PTI DG NN