8 US Lawmakers Seek Bail, Timely Trial For Delhi Riots Accused Umar Khalid

New Delhi: Eight US lawmakers have written to India’s Ambassador in Washington, urging that jailed activist Umar Khalid be granted bail and a fair, timely trial.

Khalid, accused in the alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 Delhi riots, has been in custody for over five years under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), with his trial yet to begin.

Led by US Representatives Jim McGovern and Jamie Raskin, the letter not only urges Indian authorities to grant bail to Khalid, but also ensure that his trial begins without further delay. Other signatories of the letter include Chris Van Hollen, Peter Welch, Pramila Jayapal, Jan Schakowsky, Rashida Tlaib and Lloyd Doggett.

What concerns were flagged

While highlighting their "respect for India’s democratic institutions," the lawmakers in the letter stressed how Khalid’s continued detention without the commencement of trial aligns with international legal norms.

The lawmakers also questioned how judicial proceedings have not yet begun more than five years after the activist's arrest and also pressed New Delhi to ensure that Khalid is afforded due process and that his case is heard in a fair and timely manner.

The lawmakers also flagged concerns over the prolonged use of pre-trial detention under India’s anti-terror law and its implications for civil liberties.

Why are US lawmakers interfering?

Highlighting further, McGovern, amplifying the appeal of seeking bail and timely trial of Khalid through social media post, stated that he had met Khalid’s parents in Washington earlier this month. He added, “Earlier this month, I met with the parents of Umar Khalid, who has been jailed in India for over five years without trial."

Khalid’s parents, Sahiba Khanam and Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, had travelled to the US ahead of the wedding of their youngest daughter to meet another daughter who resides there and was unable to travel to India. 

McGovern added he and Raskin were leading their colleagues in urging Indian authorities to grant Khalid bail and a fair, timely trial in accordance with international law.

Mamdani writes to Khalid

In a separate development, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, expressing solidarity, has written a letter to jailed activist and former JNU student Umar Khalid.

Khalid's friend Banojyotsna Lahiri shared a photograph of the note Mamdani wrote to Khalid on social media platform X which read, “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 note was handed over to Khalid’s parents when Mamdani met them during their visit to the United States in December 2025, according to multiple media reports. 

Umar Khalid Bail

Recently, activist Khalid was granted interim bail by Delhi court last month from December 16 to 29 to attend his sister’s wedding.

During the interim bail period, several conditions were imposed by the court where he was directed to meet only family members, relatives and friends and to remain at his home or at venues where the wedding ceremonies were scheduled to take place. A restriction on the use of social media was also imposed on the activist.

Khalid was also not allowed contact any witnesses in the case and was directed to surrender to prison authorities on the evening of December 29.

Last year, he was allowed seven days of interim bail to attend another wedding, and he was also granted comparable relief in 2022.

More about Umar Khalid

A former student leader at Jawaharlal Nehru University, 38-year-old Umar Khalid was arrested in September 2020 for alleged conspiracy linked to the 2020 Delhi riots, which killed 53 people.

Prosecutors accuse him of being part of a broader plot to incite violence, allegations he has consistently denied.

The police have accused him and several other activists, including Sharjeel Imam, Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa Ur Rehman, Athar Khan, Meeran Haider, Abdul Khalid Saifi, Gulfisha Fatima and Shadab, of “instigating the riots.”

The courts have repeatedly denied them bail, stating “conspiratorial violence under the garb of demonstrations or protests by citizens couldn’t be allowed.”

Meanwhile, Khalid, who was granted interim bail last month to attend his sister's wedding surrendered himself at Delhi’s Tihar jail on Sunday, December 29, after completing his period to attend his sister’s wedding.

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