Indian activist Umar Khalid breaks silence after six years in jail
In first interview since 2020 arrest, jailed activist says prolonged detention has devastated his mental health as trial remains yet to begin
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Indian student activist Umar Khalid has spoken publicly for the first time since his arrest nearly six years ago, describing the psychological toll of prolonged imprisonment without trial while insisting that his opposition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government remains unchanged.
In an interview published by The Guardian on June 30, the 38-year-old said years of incarceration under India’s anti-terror law had “wreaked havoc” on his mental and physical health. Because of prison restrictions, the interview was conducted through questions and answers relayed by family members and friends.
Khalid, who has spent more than 2,100 days in Delhi’s Tihar Jail, said the hardest moment each day comes at sunset, when another day of captivity draws to a close.
“When you are reduced to just an image, either negative or positive, it becomes difficult to maintain not just your humanity but even your sanity at times,” he said. “These long years in prison have wreaked havoc on my mind and body.”
He also described feeling dehumanized by years of public vilification, saying fellow prisoners had sometimes referred to him as a terrorist because of the sustained propaganda against him.
“Humanity is a privilege that is not granted to people like me,” he said.
Khalid emerged as one of India’s most prominent student leaders during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens in 2019. The legislation sparked nationwide demonstrations after critics argued it discriminated against Muslims and, when combined with the proposed citizenship register, threatened to leave many Muslims vulnerable to statelessness.
During the protests, Khalid repeatedly urged demonstrators to remain peaceful.
“We won’t respond to violence with violence. We won’t respond to hate with hate. If they spread hate, we will respond to it with love,” he told protesters at the time.
The demonstrations were followed by deadly communal violence in northeast Delhi in February 2020 that left 53 people dead, most of them Muslims.
Delhi Police arrested Khalid seven months later under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), India’s principal anti-terrorism law. Investigators accused him of being a “key conspirator” behind the violence and of plotting to destabilize the government through the protests.
Khalid has consistently denied the allegations, describing the case against him as “dystopian.” He has maintained that he was about 1,600 kilometers away from Delhi when the riots erupted and has repeatedly rejected accusations that he incited violence.
Despite spending nearly six years in custody, Khalid’s trial has yet to begin. His repeated bail applications have been rejected, making his detention one of the longest pre-trial incarcerations involving a high-profile political activist in India.
International human rights organizations have repeatedly criticized Khalid’s continued imprisonment without trial, arguing that it raises serious concerns about due process and the use of India’s anti-terror legislation to detain activists for extended periods.
His case has also drawn international political attention. In January 2026, NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani sent Khalid a handwritten letter expressing solidarity after meeting his parents, prompting a sharp response from the Indian government.
Khalid said his imprisonment had not altered his political convictions. He expressed concern over what he described as the growing normalization of hate speech and anti-Muslim rhetoric in India, adding that the country had become “a post-truth society.”
The interview also prompted reactions from Indian political leaders. Opposition lawmaker Shashi Tharoor questioned why Khalid had remained behind bars for years without the charges being tested in court.
“If he really has incited terrorism, why not prove it in a court of law?” Tharoor wrote on X. “Languishing six years behind bars, without a chance to defend himself legally, is a travesty of justice and a blot on our democracy.”
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