Overview
- Eight US lawmakers sent a December 30 letter to Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra urging bail for Umar Khalid and a fair, timely trial in line with international law.
- Signatories included Jim McGovern, Jamie Raskin, Senators Chris Van Hollen and Peter Welch, Pramila Jayapal, Rashida Tlaib, Jan Schakowsky and Lloyd Doggett.
- New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s handwritten note to Khalid—given to his parents in December and shared publicly on January 1—expressed solidarity and referenced Khalid’s reflections on avoiding bitterness.
- Khalid was arrested in September 2020 under the UAPA in a case alleging a larger conspiracy behind the February 2020 Delhi riots, which authorities say left 53 dead and over 700 injured.
- Karkardooma Court granted him interim bail from December 16 to 29 for his sister’s wedding; he returned to Tihar Jail afterward, with his broader bail plea pending before the Supreme Court.