[4][5] She was elected a councillor for Jagatpuri (an urban ward in Krishna Nagar, Delhi)[6] under the Indian National Congress ticket in 2012.
[2] After Jahan was granted bail on 21 March 2020, she was arrested again the same day for charges related to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
[4][7] Ishrat Jahan was accused of giving provocative speeches leading up to the violence that rocked northeast Delhi in February 2020 during the Citizenship Amendment Act protests.
[13] She was lodged at the Mandoli jail until March 2022, where she complained of being harassed on a regular basis and beaten by the inmates in at least two incidents (in November and December 2020).
A district court judge noted that Jahan was in a state of "utter fear" and directed jail authorities to provide security to her.