Overview
- Eight US lawmakers led by Jim McGovern and Jamie Raskin wrote to Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra on December 30 urging bail and a fair, timely trial for Umar Khalid.
- Signatories include Senators Chris Van Hollen and Peter Welch and Representatives Pramila Jayapal, Jan Schakowsky, Rashida Tlaib 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 meeting the family.
- Khalid, arrested in September 2020 on conspiracy and UAPA charges tied to the 2020 Delhi riots, received interim bail from December 16–29 to attend his sister’s wedding and has returned to Tihar Jail; his main bail plea is before the Supreme Court.
- The lawmakers cited due‑process and human‑rights concerns, noting independent rights inquiries found no evidence linking Khalid to terrorism, while BJP figures criticized the foreign interventions and alleged political links.