Overview
- Eight U.S. lawmakers, led by Rep. Jim McGovern with signatories including Jamie Raskin, Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Peter Welch, wrote on December 30 to India’s ambassador urging bail and a fair, timely trial for Umar Khalid in line with international law.
- The letter questions nearly five years of pre-trial detention under UAPA, cites concerns about reliance on secret witnesses and misconstrued speech, and asks the government to detail steps ensuring proceedings meet international standards.
- New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani sent a handwritten note to Khalid, delivered to his parents in December and shared publicly after Mamdani’s swearing-in, expressing support and recalling a meeting with the family.
- Khalid, arrested in September 2020 in the Delhi riots ‘larger conspiracy’ case under UAPA and IPC provisions, received interim bail from December 16–29 for his sister’s wedding and has since returned to Tihar Jail, with his bail plea pending before the Supreme Court.
- Delhi Police describe Khalid and others as alleged key conspirators in violence that left 53 dead and hundreds injured, while domestic political reaction has followed the U.S. outreach, including BJP criticism linking a signatory to Rahul Gandhi.