india

Updated: Jan 30, 2020 13:07 IST

The Shiv Sena, in its editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana, has backed the Centre over the action of Delhi Police against Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Sharjeel Imam.

In the editorial on Thursday, the party also advised Union Home Ministry not to play politics over the issues and “immediately finish insects like Sharjeel Imam”. The editorial also said that if “political venom” is used to give rise to terrorism of educated people, then such incidents would keep occurring.

Sedition charges have been slapped against Imam, who was arrested from Jehanabad in Bihar on Tuesday, after multiple videos allegedly showing him making incendiary remarks and threatening the integrity of Indian state surfaced on social media. In the purported video, Imam is heard urging to cut off Assam and the entire northeastern region from India by laying siege to the ‘Chicken’s Neck’ - a narrow stretch of highway about 22 kilometre in Siliguri that connects the region with the rest of India.

“Sharjeel’s speech was not only provocative but also against the country... by making such a speech Sharjeel has lowered the heads of Muslim community in the country... Therefore, the Home Ministry should not play politics over this and immediately finish such insects,” the editorial said.

The Sena said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has got what it wanted in form of Imam’s speech to use during the Delhi Assembly election campaign. The Shiv Sena claimed that the social and religious unity of the country is almost gone. “There is a conspiracy to create a class struggle, endless chaos and civil war like Iran and Afghanistan. Efforts are being made in a political laboratory,” the Saamana editorial said.

“Urban Naxalism is already there. Along with that, if efforts are on to put political venom to increase terrorism of the educated then what else would happen? One Sharjeel Imam is arrested but no more Sharjeel Imams should be produced. The government should ensure that. It is their responsibility,” said the editorial in Saamana.