Kamal Ghorui
BAGDOGRA: Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday hit out at the INDIA bloc over attempts to seek bail for those who raised slogans about cutting the “chicken neck corridor”, saying their efforts failed as the Supreme Court rejected the bail pleas and that such intentions against India would never succeed.Addressing party workers meeting in Bagdogra, Amit Shah said, “Some people in Delhi chanted slogans saying they would cut the chicken neck corridor. How will you cut it? Is this your father’s land? This is the land of India, and no one will be able to touch it. Delhi Police arrested them and sent them to jail. The INDI Alliance members were working to secure their release. Their MPs even went to the Supreme Court to plead their case, but ultimately, truth prevails. The Supreme Court also rejected their bail application, and their intentions will never, ever succeed.”The Siliguri Corridor, or “Chicken’s Neck,” is a narrow (20-22 km wide) strip of land in West Bengal, India. The corridor acts as the sole land bridge connecting mainland India to its eight northeastern states. Shah’s remarks come in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling, which denied bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).The court, however, granted bail to five other co-accused: Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd. Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmad.However, the SC granted bail to Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, and Mohd. Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmad.The Court noted that Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam stand on a “qualitatively different footing” in both the prosecution and the evidence.It noted that their roles were “central” to the alleged offences in relation to these two, though their incarceration remains ongoing and lengthy, it does not violate the Constitutional mandate or override the statutory embargo under the laws.Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and others were arrested in January 2020 under the stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in the Delhi riots case in February 2020.
