Background
Mohammad Sajid is a student who was arrested in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh (UP). In June 2022, Muslim activists and students gathered to protest against the derogatory remarks against Prophet Mohammad made by former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma on national television.
Police made Sajid one of the accused in the alleged conspiracy to instigate violence. On June 12, 2022, he was arrested by UP police. The student was not named in the FIR but was falsely implicated during the investigation without any credible evidence against him.
According to the UP Police, the incident turned violent, and an FIR was registered against 70 named and several unknown persons, accusing them of raising “objectionable” slogans against another religion, committing riots, and damaging property. Subsequently, Muslim activists and leaders were arrested under draconian laws.
The human rights organizations condemned the arrests and expressed concern about the state’s extraordinary measures to crush dissent, such as demolishing their homes and arbitrarily detaining them under draconian laws.
Charges and Allegations
Sections 143, 144, 145, 148, 149, 153A, 153B, 295A, 307, 332, 336, 353, 435, 437, 504, 505(2), 506, and 120B of the Indian Penal CodeSections 3/4/5 of the Explosive Substances Act, Section 83 of the Juvenile Justice Act, and Section 3/4 of the Prevention of Damages to Public Property Act
Current Status
The Allahabad High Court granted Mohd Sajid bail in November 2022. The Court observed that “his involvement in the alleged incident is disputed. It was also informed to the bench that similarly placed co-accused have already been granted bail by coordinated benches of the Court.”