Violent protests, arson, mob violence and vandalism had marked the protests in Jamia Nagar in Delhi and several other places on 14 and 15 December. A number of videos, being circulated on social media, are now emerging which depict how certain individuals had instigated violence in the areas.
In one such video, reportedly from Delhi, a man is seen inciting Muslims to come to the streets and do ‘Chakkajam’ (bringing a city to halt) in Delhi. The man is saying that they (Muslims) need to do Chakkajam in Delhi and wherever they have sufficient numbers. He says that right now, Muslims can bring several Indian cities to a halt. The man in the video is Sharjeel Imam, a JNU ‘student’ and The Wire columnist.
https://twitter.com/TajinderBagga/status/1206681275987197952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The man says that Muslims are being hindered by their own organisations like Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and Jamat-e-Islami. He is seen calling for Muslims to bring cities of North India to a halt.
“There are over 30% urban Muslims in UP. Do you have no shame at all? Why cannot you do Chakkajam in UP? The area in Bihar where I am from, the rural Muslim population is 6% while the urban Muslim population is 24%. Indian Muslims mostly live in cities. So it is upon you. You can bring your cities to a halt. If anyone asks you not to, disown them”, the man is heard saying.
The video has been going viral in social media. Though OpIndia could not independently verify where it was shot but it was being widely circulated to depict how students and the general public are being instigated to carry out violent protests and cause damage.
Update: On 31st December, in an exclusive expose, OpIndia revealed that Sharjeel Imam was the mastermind of the Shaheen Bagh protests and had severely nefarious designs and Islamist bent of mind. The headline of the article has been altered to reflect the connection of Imam with the Shaheen Bagh protests.