NEW DELHI: The BJP on Saturday asked the Congress to clarify whether it supported demands for Kashmir’s separation from India and the release of Sharjeel Imam, an accused in the 2020 Delhi riots case.This came a day after Congress MP Imran Masood visited Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia University to express solidarity with students protesting for the restoration of the students’ union.Also Read | Jamia protest: Congress MP Imran Masood detained, SP MP alleges manhandling by policeGraffiti bearing slogans such as “Fresh Kashmir” and “Free Sharjeel Imam” appeared on the university’s walls amid the ongoing agitation.“Does the Congress party endorse the demand, boldly written at Jamia Millia Islamia, to separate Kashmir from India? What is the Congress party’s stand on Sharjeel Imam?” BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad said at a press conference at the party headquarters in the capital.Prasad also questioned why Masood visited the Jamia university, calling it a “serious issue”.“What was he (Masood) doing there? We condemn it. His visit raises serious questions because he is not just a Congress MP but also the working president of the party’s Uttar Pradesh unit,” the former Union minister added.Prasad further stated that Jammu and Kashmir had been progressing since Article 370, which gave special status to the erstwhile state, was revoked in August 2019.“The transformation that has taken place across Kashmir is being praised globally. We strongly condemn any conspiracy to incite unrest on the issue of Kashmir, and we advocate for strict action (against any such move). Kashmir is an integral part of India and would remain so forever,” the BJP leader remarked.
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The agitation at Jamia Millia Islamia University began on October 12, with protesters demanding an official notification announcing a schedule for the students’ union elections. The last elections were held in 2005, and the union was dissolved in 2006.Also Read | Jamia tensions rise: University shifts all classes online; AISA alleges assault on students during negotiationsSharjeel Imam, currently in judicial custody, was arrested on August 25, 2020, and booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) allegedly for being one of the “masterminds” of the February 2020 riots in northeast Delhi that left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.(With PTI inputs)
