Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has questioned why former JNU student leader Umar Khalid remains behind bars without trial. The MP on Monday called Khalid’s six-year confinement, in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots, a “travesty of justice and a stain on our democracy”.
His reaction came when Umar Khalid’s interview with the guardian, in which the doctorate questioned the silence of the opposition parties. Sharing the interview and analysis, Tharoor wrote on [Umar Khalid] in prison raises a simple question: if he has really incited terrorism, why not prove it in court?”
“Why deny the basic right of any Indian citizen accused of a crime, the right to a fair trial? Languishing six years behind bars, without the possibility of legally defending himself, is a travesty of justice and a stain on our democracy. I believe the people of India have a right to know why,” Tharoor added.
Umar Khalid on the silence of the opposition
Khalid’s bail applications have been delayed, postponed or heard by judges who then abstained. Ultimately, each request has been rejected. The BJP has denied any involvement in the judicial process, although it has publicly welcomed court decisions denying it bail.
In his first interview since his arrest in 2020, Khalid criticized the opposition’s failure to defend imprisoned political prisoners since the BJP came to power.
he said the guardian“Six years later, I must say that I am really disappointed and even feel isolated. This silence (from opposition parties, from civil society groups, from famous activists who have made their careers relying on popular movements) encourages this regime to persecute more dissidents.”
The case against Umar Khalid
Before becoming prisoner number 626714 in Delhi’s infamous Tihar Jail, Khalid was a prominent face of the peaceful resistance.
Highly educated and with a doctorate in history from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), he spent years exposing the marginalization and ghettoization of India’s more than 20 million Muslims.
In late 2019, the BJP government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which was considered discriminatory towards Muslims. Massive protests, largely peaceful, swept the country. Khalid was a key figure. He once told a crowd: “We will not respond to violence with violence. We will not respond to hate with hate. If you spread hate, we will respond with love.”
In February 2020, deadly riots broke out in northeast Delhi, leaving more than 50 people dead. Khalid was arrested seven months later on charges of “organizing” the riots to bring about violent regime change.
He was arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Khalid has consistently denied the allegations against him and said they were politically motivated. He remains imprisoned with no trial date set.
Umar Khalid on prison and “terrorist” label
On the psychological toll of nearly six years in prison, Khalid said prolonged incarceration affected both his mental health and sense of identity. “When you are reduced to just one image, whether negative or positive, it becomes difficult to maintain not only your humanity but even your sanity at times,” he said.
He also claimed that years behind bars had not altered his political views. he said the guardian that “the process of India becoming a post-truth society is almost complete” and describes the “normalization and glorification of hate speech and genocidal language.”
“You even hear whispers about you from fellow prisoners you shared meals with, calling you a terrorist behind your back. This propaganda dehumanizes me in people’s eyes. Humanity is a privilege not granted to people like me,” he said.
What Umar Khalid’s parents said
His father, Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, said The New York Times in 2024, “As they say, the process is the punishment. And nowadays it is very easy to frame someone with a Muslim name.”
His mother, Sabiha Khanam, recalled one of the few moments she was able to meet her son in court. “I hugged him tight and prayed for his release,” she said, according to The NYT.
Earlier this month, the Delhi High Court granted Khalid interim bail for three days from June 1 to June 3 to take care of his mother, who underwent surgery.
The court granted him temporary relief after a trial court rejected his application for a 15-day bail to attend his maternal uncle’s Chehlum (commemoration) ceremony and help his mother during and after her operation.