Umar Khalid: Indian activist languishes in jail without bail or trial - BBC News

Umar Khalid, who was arrested three years ago for alleged involvement in riots, is still waiting for a trial.

1 day agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsDelhi riotsImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Mr Khalid has been in prison since September 2020By Soutik Biswas and Umang Poddar BBC News, DelhiIn an interview in January 2020, Umar Khalid introduced himself as an "unemployed 32-year-old Indian", with a doctorate on indigenous people from a prestigious university.

"Ideologically, you could say, I'm a radical democrat. I believe in democracy, and I believe in democracy that is not limited until your voting," Mr Khalid told VICE Asia.

"It must come into practice in everyday life in a way you can voice your issues and concerns with democratic functioning."

Mr Khalid had already gained prominence in 2016 as one of five Indian students charged with sedition for organising a protest at his alma mater, Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), over the 2013 hanging of a Kashmiri man.

He, along with another student, had surrendered to the police and had been granted bail months later. In 2022, the Supreme Court temporarily suspended the colonial sedition law, instructing the government to halt all trials until the law's validity was conclusively determined by the court.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-67980484?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA

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