Jawaharlal Nehru University student Sharjeel Imam, who is accused of sedition, was on Wednesday (29 January) sent to a five-day custody under Delhi Police Crime Branch by a Delhi court, The Times of India reported.

The matter was heard by chief metropolitan magistrate Purushottam Pathak at his residence amid high security in the evening, told advocate Mishika Singh, who appeared for Imam.

Imam who wanted Assam cut-off from India was arrested on Tuesday in Bihar’s Jahanabad by Delhi police, it was earlier reported.

Imam is said to have been one of the organisers of the controversial Shaheen Bagh protest. He was on the run for the past four-five days.

After his radical speech at AMU on 16 January went viral on social media, an arrest warrant was issued against him for sedition. Imam then began evading arrest and the police began carrying out raids to nab him. Various cases of sedition have been filed against Imam in states like Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Assam.

“If we can organise 5 lakh people, it would be possible to permanently cut off Assam with rest of India...if not permanently, then at least for a few months... only then will the government hear our voice”, Imam had said.

Imam called upon all the Muslims to block the railway and road connectivity at the Chicken’s Neck. A narrow land stretch of about 22km in West Bengal, Chicken’s Neck or the Siliguri corridor connects the rest of the India with its northeastern states. He stressed on this stretch as the region largely inhabits Muslim population.

He had also called for Muslims to show their demographic power and shut down cities and not have any sympathies or regard for Mahatma Gandhi.