Remarks don't warrant charge of sedition: JNUTA on Sharjeel

New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers' Association (JNUTA) on Tuesday expressed concern over the arrest of the university student Sharjeel Imam, who was arrested from Bihar's Jehanabad on Monday, adding that the remarks do not "warrant a charge of sedition".

"The JNUTA expresses its concern at the arrest of a student of the University on the charge of sedition. The JNUTA notes that while there may be considerable scope for disagreement with the remarks allegedly made by the student, it has been persuasively argued by legal experts that these remarks do not warrant a charge of sedition and there are other reasons behind the sedition law being invoked," said JNUTA in a statement.

They added that the continuation of the "colonial-era law on sedition" has been subjected to questioning due to its "rampant misuse by governments to curb dissent".

"The JNUTA also notes that the circumstances which forced the student to surrender before the Police today reflects the extreme politicization of the conduct of law enforcement agencies, which leads to great unevenness in the application of the law," it added.

The teachers association also called out Delhi Police for not mking any arrest in January 5 violence that took place inside the campus.

"More than three weeks have passed since teachers and students were attacked by a masked mob but not a single arrest has been made so far. Not even one of the several complaints filed by teachers who were victims of the violence has been converted into a FIR," they said.

"Clearly, law 'enforcement' is being given a new meaning by the Police which doesn't augur well for the health of India's democracy," it said.