Umar Khalid, who is among the activists who led the protest against the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act), has been languishing in jail in a case related to the 2020 Delhi riots. Besides him, there are other activists – Khalid Saifi, Sharjeel Imam, Meeran Haider, Gulfisha Fatima, Shifa-ur-Rahman, Athar Khan, Salim Khan and others – behind bars
Waquar Hasan | Clarion India
NEW DELHI — Firebrand student leader Umar Khalid continues to languish in jail for over 950 days now and the recent Eid-ul-Fitr was the third consecutive annual religious festival when he was not with the family. “The entire family is disturbed,” said Khalid’s father Dr Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas despondently.
On the day of Eid, Ilyas, a prominent Muslim leader and National President of Welfare Party of India, tweeted that he misses his son every day and more on the occasion of festivals like Eid.
“951 days and counting since #UmarKhalid was incarcerated. This is his third Eid-ul-Fitr away from home. We miss you every day, but especially today,” tweeted Ilyas on Saturday along with an Urdu couplet.
Speaking to Clarion India, Ilyas said: “It is painful that our family members celebrate Eid while my son is not present. We all are pained. His mother, sisters and other relatives are also upset and dejected. They often phone me to ask about the status of the case. They are praying for his release. The entire family is very much disturbed”.
Khalid, who is among the activists who led the protest against the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act), has been languishing in jail in a case related to the 2020 Delhi riots. Besides him, there are other activists – Khalid Saifi, Sharjeel Imam, Meeran Haider, Gulfisha Fatima, Shifa-ur-Rahman, Athar Khan, Salim Khan and others – behind bars. They were booked under the UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act).
Talking about Khalid, Dr Qasim Rasool Ilyas said that it would be a separate thing if his son was in jail for committing any crimes. But he was framed on the basis of baseless allegations. “This is more painful when your son is in jail for a long period of time due to some baseless allegations.
“Families of all political prisoners are disturbed. In my case, Umar is not the sole breadwinner of the family. There are many who are sole breadwinners of their families,” said Ilyas.
He feels that delaying tactics are being adopted to keep Umar in jail. For one and half years, the lower court heard the bail plea and rejected it. Then, the Delhi High Court heard the plea for five months and rejected the plea.
The same court granted bail to three prisoners on similar charges. It made critical remarks about the case. But the same court rejected Khalid’s bail plea. For two years, the bail plea was heard and then rejected. Then, they moved the Supreme Court where the case has not yet been listed, said Ilyas.
“First, they level false allegations and delay the legal proceedings. They know that if the case is disposed of, he will be released. They think that more the delay, the more they can punish him. This is wrong. They arrest people on baseless allegations and later they get acquitted but after languishing in jail for 10 and 12 years,” said Ilyas.
