Release Umar Khalid and all Equal Citizenship Activists

Today, 30th of January, 2025, is the 1600th day that the historian and activist Umar Khalid has spent in Delhi’s Tihar prison. It also happens to be the 77th anniversary of the assassination of Mohandas Karmachand Gandhi at the hands of a Hindutva fanatic.

We, the undersigned, are not unaware of this synchronicity. Nor do we wish to see it pass un-noticed. In a speech preceding his arrest Umar Khalid had asserted that the same forces that had killed Gandhi had also brought in the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), which he and many others had protested against.

He had said – “They are destroying the values of Mahatma Gandhi, and the people of India are fighting against them. If those in power want to divide India, the people of India are ready to unite the country.”

Umar and many others like him are in prison charged under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), without bail, without trial, for years at an end. Not because they motivated or instigated anybody to commit any act of violence, but because they stood in defence of peace and justice and advocated non-violent dissidence against unjust laws.

In the end, this is not just about Umar Khalid.

It pains us, for instance, to read Umar Khalid’s fellow-detenu Gulfisha Fatima’s poem – as she writes about the “silent walls” of the prison. A bright young student activist, an MBA graduate and a history enthusiast, Gulfisha is spending her fifth year in prison. Similarly, one wonders if Khalid Saifi is being “punished” simply for reciting the Preamble of India’s Constitution that speaks of secularism and equality. Sharjeel Imam, a bright scholar of history and student activist, in fact has expressed that while he did know that dissenters run the risk of arrest under this regime, he did not expect to be accused of “terrorism”,

especially for riots that occurred a month after he had already been arrested. The list goes on to include Meeran Haider, Athar Khan, Shifa Ur Rahman and others. A predatory regime first brought in a law that discriminated against Muslims vis-a-vis the right to Indian citizenship, and then selectively persecuted those who raised their voices against this measure, especially if they were Muslim.

Umar Khalid was arrested on September 13, 2020, under the draconian UAPA in connection with the Delhi riots of February 2020. These riots, which caused significant loss of life and property, was a macabre episode that resulted in 53 deaths, 38 of whom were Muslims.

However, instead of holding accountable those who incited and perpetuated the violence, the state has targeted activists and protestors who peacefully opposed the CAA. Umar Khalid, known for his eloquent speeches advocating for pluralism, secularism, and constitutional values, has been falsely accused in the most brazenly twisted manner of conspiring to incite violence. In one of his speeches that has been used against him, he in fact is heard saying, “We will not respond to violence with violence. We will not respond to hate with hate. If they spread hate, we will respond to it by spreading love. If they beat us with lathis, we will hold aloft the tri-colour. If they fire bullets, then we will hold aloft the Constitution in our hands.” And yet, the authorities have gone out of their way to frame him using the most devious lies and distortions of facts.

This repeated denial of bail and prolonged incarceration without trial, in fact, is one of the most distressing aspects of Umar Khalid’s case and that of the others in this case. This is despite the fact that the High Court in 2021, while granting bail to three of the accused, had made strong observations about the arguments put forth by the state. The bench had in no unambiguous terms stated that “We are constrained to express, that it seems, that in its anxiety to suppress dissent, in the mind of the state, the line between the constitutionally guaranteed right to protest and terrorist activity seems to be getting somewhat blurred. If this mindset gains traction, it would be a sad day for democracy.” And yet, the state continues to bank on draconian laws like the UAPA that makes obtaining bail notoriously difficult. Such laws along with inordinate judicial delays have created a situation where individuals are effectively punished through prolonged detention, without any trial, without being proven guilty.

We, the undersigned, are deeply disturbed to witness how a bright and compassionate young man like Umar who is trained as a historian and nurtured as a critical thinker, has repeatedly been targeted, vilified and branded by an authoritarian regime.

We sincerely hope to see Umar and these equal citizenship activists to be free so that they may contribute towards an equal and just future.

Release Umar Khalid and all Equal Citizenship Activists Endorsed by

1. Amitav Ghosh, Novelist and essayist
2. Rajmohan Gandhi, Writer, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi
3. Ramachandra Guha, Historian and writer
4. Naseeruddin Shah, Actor in Theatre and Cinema
5. Ratna Pathak Shah, Actor in Theatre and Cinema
6. Romila Thapar, Professor Emerita, JNU
7. Gayatri Chakravarty Spivak, Professor, Columbia University, NYC
8. Akeel Bilgrami, Professor, Columbia University, NYC
9. Sandeep Pande, Magsaysay Awardee, Social activist
10. Anand Teltumbde, Civil rights activist
11. Anand Patwardhan, Film Maker
12. Harsh Mander, Social Activist
13. Irfan Habib, Professor Emeritus, AMU
14. Prabhat Patnaik, Professor Emeritus, Jawaharlal Nehru University
15. Lalit Vachani, Filmmaker and Researcher, University of Göttingen
16. Tanika Sarkar, Historian, Former professor of History at Jawaharlal Nehru University, now teaches at Ashoka University
17. Sumit Sarkar, Historian, Former Professor of History at DU and one of the early members of Subaltern Studies
18. Jayati Ghosh, Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
19. Nandini Sundar, Delhi based Sociologist
20. Partha Chatterjee, Professor of Anthropology and South Asian studies at Columbia University
21. Gyan Prakash, Professor of History, Princeton University
22. Tushar A. Gandhi, Founder President, Mahatma Gandhi Foundation, Mumbai
23. John Harriss, Professor Emeritus, Simon Fraser University and Queen’s University, Canada.
24. Kavita Srivastava, PUCL
25. Lalita Ramdas, Educator, Peace Activist, Citizen of India
26. Kalpana Kannabiran, Sociologist and Lawyer
27. John Dayal, Writer, New Delhi
28. Shabnam Hashmi, Social Activist, Anhad
29. Sudhanva Deshpande, LeftWord Books
30. Christophe Jaffrelot, President of the French Political Science Association
31. Alpa Shah, Professor of Social Anthropology, University of Oxford
32. Amrita Basu, Professor, Amherst College
33. Nakul Singh Sawhney, Filmmaker and Founder, ChalChitra Abhiyaan
34. Rakesh Sharma, Filmmaker
35. Ram Puniyani, All India Secular Forum, Mumbai
36. Sagari R Ramdas, Food Sovereignty Alliance, India
37. Joe Athialy, Centre for Financial Accountability
38. Meena Kandasamy, Poet, writer & activist
39. Rasheed Ahmed, Executive Director, Indian American Muslim Council
40. Sunita Viswanath, Executive Director, Hindus for Human Rights
41. Ishita Pande, Professor, History, Queen’s University, Canada
42. Zoya Hasan, Professor Emerita, JNU
43. Utsa Patnaik, Professor Emerita, JNU
44. C.P. Chandrasekhar, Professor Retd., JNU
45. Praveen Jha, Professor, JNU
46. Darab Farooqui, Screenwriter
47. Linda Hess, Senior Lecturer Emeritus, Stanford University
48. Jawhar Sircar, ex MP and ex Secretary, Government of India
49. Sankaran Krishna, Professor of Political Science, University of Hawai’i at Manoa
50. Debashree Mukherjee, Associate Professor, Columbia University in New York
51. Börries Nehe, Researcher at Universität Potsdam, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, Coordinator of International Research Group on Authoritarianism & Counter-Strategies (IRGAC)
52. Shayoni Mitra, Professor, Barnard College, Columbia University
53. O P Shah, Chairman, Centre for Peace & Progress
54. Anjali Noronha, Educationist, Bhopal
55. Mondira Jaisimha, Founding Partner – Cura Servitium and City Head – ElderAid, Hyderabad
56. Nandini Manjrekar, Professor (Retired), TISS Mumbai
57. Purwa Bharadwaj, Writer, educator
58. Apoorvanand, Writer, teaches at DU
59. Gurveen Kaur, educationist
60. Jayasree Subramanian, Academician, Hyderabad
61. Amogh Dhar Sharma, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, University of Oxford
62. Damir Arsenijević, Professor, University of Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina
63. Ruchir Joshi, Writer and Film-maker, Kolkata
64. Sudhir Vombatkere, Engineer & writer
65. Nilita Vachani, Educator, Filmmaker and Writer, New York University
66. Srirupa Roy, Professor, University of Göttingen
67. Ayesha Kidwai, Professor, Centre for Linguistics, JNU
68. Susie Tharu. Professor (Retd) EFLU
69. Fathima Nizaruddin, Filmmaker
70. Rashmi Varma, Professor of English and Comparative Literary Studies, University of Warwick
71. Subir Sinha, Director, SOAS South Asia Institute, London
72. Amitava Kumar, Writer and Journalist, Vassar College
73. Gianpaolo Baiocchi, Urban Democracy Lab, NYU
74. Paula Chakravartty, Professor, NYU and Vice President, NYU-AAUP
75. Dickens Leonard, Visiting Fellow, Brandeis University
76. Kai Jabir Friese, Journalist
77. Siddharth Dube, Writer
78. Rajive Tiwari, Professor of Physics and Mathematics at Belmont Abbey College, USA
79. Gyanendra Pandey, Prof of History, Emory University
80. Ruby Lal, Prof of South Asian History, Emory University
81. Raza Mir, Professor of Management, William Paterson University, USA
82. Lotika Singha, Writer, editor, member-International Solidarity for Academic Freedom
83. Rajeev Singha, Retired medical professional and activist
84. Sruti Bala, Associate Professor, Theatre Studies, University of Amsterdam
85. Balaji Narsimhan, Independent, California, USA
86. Arundhati Dhuru, Social activist
87. MV Ramana, Professor and Simons Chair in Disarmament, Global and Human Security, Simon Frazer University, Vancouver, Canada
88. Usha Iyer, Associate Professor, Film and Media Studies, Department of Art and Art History, Stanford University
89. Abha Sur, Lecturer in Women’s and Gender Studies, MIT, Cambridge, MA
90. Jyotsna Kapur, Professor of Cinema and Media Studies, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL
91. Vinay Lal, Professor of History & Asian American Studies, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
92. Aditya Sarkar, Associate Professor in History, University of Warwick
93. Jarno Lang, General Manager
94. Natalie Lang, Research Fellow
95. Prerna Agarwal, Research Fellow
96. Kajri Jain, Professor
97. Shireen Moosvi, Professor Retd., AMU
98. Carol Rovane, Professor, Columbia University, NYC
99. Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ, Human Rights and Peace Activist/Writer, Ahmedabad
100. Manu Goswami, Historian, NYU
101. Rasika Ajotikar, Junior Professor of Ethnomusicology, University of Hildesheim
102. Dhirendra K. Jha, Journalist and Author, Delhi.
103. Anjali Monteiro, Filmmaker and Academic, Goa
104. KP Jayasankar, Filmmaker and Academic, Goa
105. Uma Chakravarti, Retired Teacher of History, Filmmaker
106. Anand Chakravarti, Retired Teacher, University of Delhi
107. Michael Gottlob, Historian, India Coordination Group, Berlin
108. Sunanda Bhat, Filmmaker
109. Nivedita Menon, Professor, JNU, Delhi
110. Geeta Seshu, Journalist and Co-Editor, Free Speech Collective
111. Laila Kadiwal, Associate Professor in Education and International Development at University College, London
112. Yasmin Saikia, Hardt-Nickachos Chair in Peace Studies, Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict, Arizona State University
113. Chitra Joshi, Independent Historian
114. Parinitha, Professor, Mangalore University, Mangaluru
115. Shreya Sinha, Academic
116. Shubhra Gururani, Anthropology & YCAR, York University
117. Aditya Nigam, Independent academic, Delhi
118. Sangeeta Kamat, Professor, International Development Education, University of Massachusetts Amherst
119. Abdul Matin, Assistant Professor, Department of International Relations, Jadavpur University, Kolkata
120. Priya Sen, Independent Artist and Filmmaker
121. A. Mangai, Academician and Theatre person, Marappachi Theatre Group
122. Shubashree Desikan, Science journalist, Chennai
123. Mira Kamdar, Writer
124. Unni Karunakara, Yale University, New Haven
125. Nalini Rajan, Dean of Studies, Asian College of Journalism, Chennai
126. Aakar Patel, Columnist, Bengaluru
127. Shahana Bhattacharya, Associate Professor
128. Dwaipayan Bhattacharyya, Academic
129. Pallavi Gupta, Researcher
130. Harinder Mahil, Retd. Union Representative, Vancouver, Canada
131. Shamsul Islam, Historian, Writer
132. Jane Mills, University of New South Wales, Australia
133. Ranjit Sur, Association for the Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR)
134. Amit Mahanti, Filmmaker, New Delhi
135. Somnath Waghmare, Filmmaker, Mumbai
136. Sondhy Dutta, Design Consultant and Interior Designer, Kolkata
137. Mithu Das, Kolkata
138. Kaushik Roy, Filmmaker, Branding & Creative Consultant, Mumbai
139. Ranjan Kar, Retired MNC executive, Bengaluru
140. Rangan Chakravarty, Media professional, Kolkata
141. Anik Datta, Filmmaker, Kolkata
142. Behroze Gandhy, Film Producer
143. Aparajita Sinha, Writer.
144. Nikhilesh Sinha, Professor of Economics and Finance, Hult International Business School
145. Mishka Sinha, Curator of Inclusive History London, U.K
146. Zeenat Shaukat Ali, Director General Wisdom Foundation
147. Satish Bhatia, Academia, FTII Alumni
148. Thomas Franco, People First
149. Markus Nornes, Language Studies and Asian Cinema, University of Michigan
150. Aditi Mehta, IAS Retired
151. Moutuli Nag Sarkar, (APDR)
152. Indranil Chatterjee, (APDR)
153. Altaf Ahmed, (APDR)
154. Sarmistha Roy, (APDR)
155. Sourav Roy, (APDR)
156. Amitava Sengupta, (APDR)
157. Saroj Mondal, (APDR)
158. Rahul Chakraborty, (APDR)
159. Animesh, (APDR)
160. Rajib Dutta, (APDR)