Whether it was writing a speech for his next rally or preparing pamphlets for an upcoming protest, Umar Khalid was always restless to do it all systematically and methodically. He probably never imagined that life would make him slow down in the most unprecedented way, by keeping him behind bars for years, say his friends.
A former student of modern history at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi, Mr. Khalid was booked by police for being one of the key conspirators in the north-east Delhi riots that broke out in February 2020, amid countrywide protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The riots had left 53 people dead and hundreds displaced. Arrested in September 2020, Mr. Khalid has been languishing inside the maximum security Tihar Jail since then.
Umar Khalid | Activist behind bars
Umar Khalid, a former JNU student leader, faces imprisonment for his activism in protests against the CAA and Delhi riots.
