Umar Khalid, a 38-year-old Muslim and leftwing rights activist, has been held in Delhi’s Tihar prison since 2020 on charges he denies, including allegations that he conspired in deadly religious riots and plotted violent regime change. He was arrested by Delhi police under terrorism laws alongside other prominent human rights defenders and student activists, though he stated he was 1,000 miles away when the riots occurred. To date, he has not faced trial.
Khalid rose to prominence over the past decade as a student activist and prominent figure in anti-government protests that swept India in 2019, which challenged the administration of Narendra Modi and his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He has been a fierce critic of what he describes as the BJP’s Hindu nationalist agenda and has accused the Modi government of fueling harassment and persecution of India’s 200 million Muslims and other minorities. The BJP maintains that India’s judicial system is independent and that Khalid’s prosecution is unrelated to politics.
International human rights groups have condemned Khalid’s prolonged detention without trial as unjust. Multiple judges have repeatedly rejected his bail applications, with some delaying, adjourning, or recusing themselves from the proceedings. Delhi police have faced separate accusations of fabricating evidence and forging witness statements in numerous Delhi riots cases, though they have not responded to these allegations. While other individuals named in the same case have been granted bail, Khalid remains incarcerated with no clear trial date in sight.
In his first interview since his arrest, conveyed through family and friends due to prison restrictions, Khalid reflected on the psychological impact of his confinement, describing how propaganda has dehumanized him and made it difficult to maintain his humanity. He expressed disappointment with opposition parties and civil society groups for what he characterized as insufficient advocacy for political prisoners in India’s jails. He remains imprisoned while the police investigation continues without resolution.
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