NEW DELHI: Umar Khalid, a PhD scholar and activist, has marked 1,500 days in Tihar jail without trial since his arrest in September 2020.
Khalid is accused of being the “key conspirator” in the 2020 Delhi riots, which followed protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), both widely seen as discriminatory towards Muslims.
Khalid’s prolonged detention without bail has raised alarms among activists, lawyers, and citizens. Banojyotsna Lahiri, Khalid’s partner, highlighted the gravity of 1,500 days, noting that this time span could be enough to complete a graduation, gain work experience, or finish scientific experiments.
In contrast, Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mondal and AAP leader Satyendar Jain were both granted bail after spending over two years in Tihar jail on unrelated charges. A top BJP leader reiterated that “bail is the rule, not the exception,” highlighting the apparent disparity in Khalid’s treatment.
Khalid’s bail applications have been rejected 14 times, including twice by a sessions court and once by the Delhi High Court. His appeal in the Supreme Court, filed on April 6, 2023, is still pending.
Lawyer-activist Prashant Bhushan called the charges against Khalid “demonstrably absurd,” while activist Kavita Krishnan described his continued denial of bail and trial as a “test of democracy.”
