Eight lawmakers from the United States have written to the Indian government asking that jailed activist Umar Khalid be granted bail and a fair trial. The letter comes weeks after Khalid’s parents travelled to the US, where they met several political leaders, including Zohran Mamdani to raise concerns about his long imprisonment, as per reports.
Umar Khalid has been in jail since September 2020 in connection with the communal violence that took place in Delhi in February 2020, which left at least 53 people dead and more than 500 injured, according to government estimates.
What crime is Umar Khalid accused of?
Delhi Police arrested Khalid on September 13, 2020, accusing him of being part of a larger conspiracy behind the 2020 Delhi riots. Police claimed he incited communal violence through speeches delivered in February that year.
Khalid, a former Jawaharlal Nehru University student leader, was active in protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). He has been charged under FIR 59/2020 with multiple offences under the Indian Penal Code, the Arms Act, 1967, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
These include rioting, murder, attempted murder, sedition, promoting communal enmity, unlawful activities, terrorist acts, raising funds for terrorist activities, and criminal conspiracy. Police have argued that Khalid was one of the key conspirators who planned protests, created WhatsApp groups, and distributed pamphlets calling for road blockades, or “chakka-jaams”, after the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was passed in December 2019.
Bail history and court rulings
Khalid was formally arrested under a separate case, FIR 101/2020, in October 2020. A Delhi court granted him bail in this case in April 2021. However, he remained in prison due to the more serious charges under FIR 59/2020.
In December 2025, a Delhi court granted Khalid temporary bail from December 16 to December 29 so he could attend his sister’s wedding.
In an earlier hearing, the bench observed that the alleged speeches and actions of the accused, when seen together, “prima facie indicate their role in the alleged conspiracy”. It also said that their absence during the actual riots did not reduce their alleged responsibility, as they were accused of planning the events. The court added that “a hurried trial would be detrimental to the rights of both appellants and the State”, adding that the case had reached the stage of arguments on framing of charges.
Mamdani writes personal letter to Umar Khalid
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has also written a personal letter to Umar Khalid while he remains lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail under the UAPA. Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist, recently became the first Muslim and Indian-origin mayor of New York City. A handwritten note attributed to him surfaced on social media platform X. “Dear Umar, I think of your words on bitterness often, and the importance of not letting it consume one’s self. It was a pleasure to meet your parents. We are all thinking of you,” the letter read