Umar Khalid

Last updated

Umar Khalid
Umar khalid.jpg
Khalid in May 2016
Born
Syed Umar Khalid

(1987-08-11) 11 August 1987 (age 36)
Delhi, India
Citizenship Indian
Alma mater
Years active2016–present
MovementJustice For Najeeb Movement
Parent
  • Dr. S.Q.R Ilyas (father)

Umar Khalid (born Syed Umar Khalid) is an Indian student activist, a former research scholar at Jawaharlal Nehru University, [1] [2] former leader of Democratic Students' Union (DSU) in JNU. [3] He was allegedly involved in the Jawaharlal Nehru University sedition row and is an accused under the UAPA law. Khalid is also associated with United Against Hate, a campaign founded along with Nadeem Khan in July 2017 in response to the series of lynchings. [4] [5]

Contents

Early life and education

Umar Khalid was born in Jamia Nagar, New Delhi, and has lived there for the last 30 years. His father, Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, is from Maharashtra, while his mother is from Western Uttar Pradesh. [6] S.Q.R. Ilyas is the National President of the Welfare Party of India and a former member of Students Islamic Movement of India, a banned Islamist organisation, which he left in 1985. [7] [8] [9]

Khalid studied history at the Kirori Mal College of the Delhi University. [10] He later did his master's and MPhil in history at Jawarhlal Nehru University (JNU). His MPhil dissertation was on 'Hos of Singhbhum'. [11] Khalid describes himself as a hardcore communist who is not a practising Muslim. [12] [13] [14]

Khalid's PhD thesis was titled “Contesting claims and contingencies of the rule on Adivasis of Jharkhand” and was submitted to the JNU in 2018. [15] Following his PhD, he published a research article titled "Changing Village Authority in an Adivasi Hinterland: State, Community and Contingencies of Rule in Singhbhum, 1830–1897" in the journal Social Scientist in 2018. [16]

Activism and controversies

JNU Sedition Row

On 9 February 2016, students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) held a protest on their campus against the capital punishment meted out to the 2001 Indian Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, and Kashmiri separatist Maqbool Bhat. [17]

Four days after the event, the Delhi Police arrested JNU Student Union president Kanhaiya Kumar on charges of sedition and criminal conspiracy. [18] Five other students including Umar Khalid went into hiding. After their return 10 days later, Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya was also taken into custody. [19]

The arrest and the use of sedition charges were widely criticized as suppression of political dissent. [20] [21] [22] An inquiry committee appointed by the administration of JNU meted out varying punishments to a number of students. Kanhaiya Kumar was fined 10,000 rupees, Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya were rusticated for one semester. [23] JNU refused to allow Umar Khalid to submit his PhD thesis in July 2018. [24] [25] Khalid went to the Delhi High Court, [26] [27] and obtained an order allowing him to submit his thesis. [27] On 2 August 2018, JNU accepted the PhD thesis submission. [28] [29]

On 28 February 2020, the Delhi government gave its approval for a trial in the sedition case. [30]

Bhima Koregaon incident

Along with Jignesh Mevani, Umar Khalid was booked under a first-information report for giving 'provocative' speeches in Pune. The criminal charges against Mevani and Khalid was for promoting enmity between different groups through their speeches. The Elgaar Parishad rally, where this reportedly happened, was held in Pune to mark the 200th year of the Battle of Koregaon, a place in present-day Pune district, which was fought between the then British Indian Army and the Peshwas. [31]

Assassination attempt

On 13 August 2018, Khalid narrowly escaped an assassination attempt. [32] [33] [34] The two accused were arrested on 20 August 2018 by police from Fatehabad, Haryana. Before the arrest, the accused had uploaded a video on Facebook on 15 August, saying the attack was an Independence Day gift for India, and they also wanted to highlight the issue of cow protection. [35] [36]

Arrest in 2020

Umar Khalid was booked under UAPA by Delhi Police for his alleged "provocative speeches" during the visit of American President Donald Trump to India. [37] [38] Delhi police considered his speeches as instigating and facilitating the 2020 Delhi riots. [39] [40] On 14 September 2020, Khalid was arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell as an alleged conspirator in the Delhi Riots case. [41] [42]

In charge sheets related to the riots, the police have said Khalid met suspended and jailed Aam Aadmi Party's councillor Tahir Hussain and activist Khalid Saifi on 8 January at the Shaheen Bagh sit-in protest site against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA)-National Register of Citizens (NRC) to allegedly plan the riots. He was interrogated twice for his alleged role. The police also linked Khalid's speeches to the riots. The Delhi Police's special cell is looking into a larger conspiracy case in addition to multiple cases filed in connection with the riots. [43]

Delhi Police has filed supplementary charge sheet against Umar Khalid in connection with the Delhi riots. The police said this case is a multi-layered conspiracy and a pre-planned riot and there is sufficient evidence available to proceed against Khalid. [44] In early January 2021, a Delhi court agreed with the chargesheet. [45] Khalid filed a bail plea in July 2021, after eight month long hearing his bail application was dismissed. In the bail order the court said that the allegations against Khalid are prima facie true and his role in the "context of conspiracy" related to Delhi riots was apparent. [46] In March 2022, the court denied bail to Khalid. An Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat stated that Khalid's plea had "no merit and substance" for the bail to be granted. [47]

On 13 September 2022, as he completes two years in Tihar Jail under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act or UAPA, accused by the Delhi Police of involvement in 2020 Delhi riots, The Wire published Khalid's response to an open letter. By employing UAPA, he says, we can be kept in jail for years, without those framing us needing to prove anything. [48]

On 18 October 2022, the Delhi High Court dismissed the bail plea of Khalid, as Delhi Police opposed it. [49]

On December 3, 2022, a Delhi court acquitted him in stone pelting case during Delhi riots. [50]

Supreme Court Bail Hearings

Khalid's bail petition first made it to the Supreme Court of India in May 2023. On May 18, Justices Bopanna and Hima Kohli of the SC had issued notice and posted the case after six weeks. On July 12, Justices Bopanna and M.M. Sundresh listed the case for July 24. The case came up for hearing on July 24 before Justices Bopanna and Bela M. Trivedi.

The bail hearing came up next in the Supreme Court on August 9, 2023 when Justice Mishra recused himself and the bail hearing was scheduled for August 17. [51]

It was listed again before the same justices on August 17 and then it was dropped from the Supreme Court cause list. [52]

Related Research Articles

Sedition is overt conduct, such as speech or organization, that tends toward rebellion against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent toward, or insurrection against, established authority. Sedition may include any commotion, though not aimed at direct and open violence against the laws. Seditious words in writing are seditious libel. A seditionist is one who engages in or promotes the interest of sedition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jawaharlal Nehru University</span> Public university in New Delhi, India

Jawaharlal Nehru University is a public research university located in Delhi, India. It was established in 1969 and named after Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. The university is known for leading faculties and research emphasis on social sciences and applied sciences.

Sajjan Kumar is an Indian politician. He was elected to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India from Outer Delhi as a member of the Indian National Congress but resigned from the primary membership of the party after he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in a case relating to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act</span> Indian law to prevent unlawful activities

The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act is an Indian law aimed at prevention of unlawful activities associations in India. Its main objective was to make powers available for dealing with activities directed against the integrity and sovereignty of India. The most recent amendment of the law, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act, 2019 has made it possible for the Union Government to designate individuals as terrorists without following any formal judicial process. UAPA is also known as the "Anti-terror law".

Aman Lekhi is a senior advocate of the Supreme Court of India and is the former Additional Solicitor General of India in the Apex Court. He is named in the list of Top 100 Legal Luminaries of India by LexisNexis in May 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kanhaiya Kumar</span> Indian political activist (born 1987)

Kanhaiya Kumar is an Indian political activist who served as the president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union and leader of the All India Students Federation (AISF). He served as National Executive Council member of Communist Party of India. He joined Indian National Congress on 28 September 2021.

On 9 February 2016, some students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) held a protest on their campus against the capital punishment meted out to the 2001 Indian Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, and Kashmiri separatist Maqbool Bhat. The organizers of the event were former members of the Democratic Students' Union (DSU). The event was held despite the university administration withdrawing permission for the event shortly before it was due to begin, due to protests by members of the student union of ABVP. The event saw clashes between various student groups. A video was circulated by Indian news channel Zee news in which a small group of individuals, whom a later University investigation described as outsiders to the university wearing masks, shouted "anti-India" slogans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shehla Rashid</span> Indian student anarchist

Shehla Rashid Shora is an Indian single community human rights activist who has pursued her Ph.D. at Jawaharlal Nehru University. She was vice-president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) in 2015–16 and was a member of the All India Students Association (AISA). She rose to prominence whilst leading the student agitation calling for the release for Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and others who were arrested on charges of sedition in February 2016 for participating and organizing sloganeering in JNU.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disappearance of Najeeb Ahmed</span> Indian student

Najeeb Ahmed was a student of JNU New Delhi, India, who went missing from his hostel on the university campus under suspicious circumstances on 15 October 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sudha Bharadwaj</span> Indian activist

Sudha Bharadwaj is a trade-unionist, activist and lawyer who has lived and worked in Chhattisgarh for over three decades. She is an active member of the Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha.

Tukde Tukde Gang is a pejorative political catchphrase used in India by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and accusing their critics for allegedly supporting sedition and secessionism. Whereas the words tukde-tukde refer to "breaking or cutting something into small fragments", the phrase "tukde tukde gang" can be translated as "a gang that wants to divide the country". The phrase is used by BJP leadership, and some news channels to stigmatise political opponents who have different political views.

Safoora Zargar was an Indian student activist leader from Kishtwar, Jammu and Kashmir, best known for her role in the Citizenship Amendment Act protests.

Sharjeel Imam is an Indian student activist from Kako village of Jehanabad, Bihar. He had completed his B.Tech. and M.Tech. from IIT-Bombay and joined Jawaharlal Nehru University in 2013 for completing his master's degree in Modern History and in 2015 he started Ph.D. from the same university. He is known for his allegedly inflammatory speeches made during anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests which led to his arrest under sedition.

Meeran Haider is an Indian activist leader and human rights defender known for his role in Citizenship Amendment Act protests. He is also the RJD State President of Delhi youth wing unit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rebecca Mammen John</span> Senior advocate in the Supreme Court of India

Rebecca Mammen John is a Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court of India, and works primarily in the field of criminal defence. She has represented parties in several widely reported cases, including the families of victims of the 1987 Hashimpura massacre, Indian stockbroker Harshad Mehta, and the accused in the Aarushi murder case. She has also been appointed as a Special Public Prosecutor on occasion by the High Court of Delhi, and frequently comments in leading newspapers and the media on issues of criminal justice reform in India.

Pratibha Rani is a former judge of the Delhi High Court, in Delhi, India. She gained public attention after writing several controversial judicial orders, including an granting bail to political activist Kanhaiya Kumar, in which she quoted Bollywood song lyrics and described surgical procedures to caution him, and another order describing the offence of rape as a "weapon for vengeance and personal vendetta". She has also written several significant judgments, including the reaffirmation of death penalty to the convicts of the 2012 Delhi gang-rape and murder, and the reduction of sentences and grant of bail to convicted offenders of child sexual abuse on the grounds that the child victim may have consented to the abuse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">G. N. Saibaba</span> Activist and academician

Gokarakonda Naga "G. N." Saibaba is an Indian scholar, writer, human rights activist, and former assistant professor.

Ishrat Jahan is an Indian practising advocate and former municipal councillor for the Indian National Congress in Delhi who is an accused under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and was granted bail on 14 March 2022 after her incarceration since February 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asif Iqbal Tanha</span> Indian student activist

Asif Iqbal Tanha is an Indian student activist, a former student of Jamia Millia Islamia and a member of Students Islamic Organisation of India. He was allegedly involved in the Delhi Riots conspiracy case and is an accused under the UAPA Act. Tanha is also associated with United Against Hate (UAH), a campaign that was started in July 2017 in response to the series of lynchings and hate crimes in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nadeem Khan (social activist)</span> Indian Human Rights Activist

Nadeem Khan is a human rights activist in India serving as the National Secretary of Association for Protection of Civil Rights and Founder of UAH, actively contributing to its cause. His activism extends various communal violence incidents across India including the Bihar Communal Violence, Ram Navami Violence, and Kasganj violence of 2018. He also aligned the victims with others for sponsorship.

References

  1. ↑ "Student organisations divided over JNUSU's latest form of protest". The Indian Express. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  2. ↑ "10 things you should know about Umar Khalid". India Today. Ist. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  3. ↑ Sebastian, Kritika Sharma (24 February 2016). "Umar Khalid, an activist on campus". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  4. ↑ "United Against Hate, the 'fact-finding' group accused of conspiracy in Delhi riots".
  5. ↑ "In 'Batla House', It is Cinematic Liberties vs Facts: Umar Khalid". 18 August 2019.
  6. ↑ "Umar Khalid on Decoding India". SKEP. 27 August 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  7. ↑ Pritha Chatterjee (19 February 2016). "JNU student's father: If you're branding him a traitor for my (SIMI) past". indianexpress.com. New Delhi: Indian Express . Retrieved 12 June 2020. Ilyas is now the national president of Welfare Party of India, which operates out of Abul Fazl Enclave in southeast Delhi.
  8. ↑ "Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI)" . Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  9. ↑ "'They will disturb secular fabric': Government extends ban on SIMI by five years". Hindustan Times. 2 February 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  10. ↑ "My name is Umar Khalid and I am a Delhi University student…". The Indian Express. 28 February 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  11. ↑ "Umar Khalid, My Student". The Indian Express. 26 February 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  12. ↑ Sebastian, Kritika Sharma (19 February 2016). "'Umar Khalid not a practising Muslim'". The Hindu.
  13. ↑ "Umar Khalid: Why I, a Leftist, participated in a Twitter trend praising the Prophet".
  14. ↑ "'I feel like the character in The Reluctant fundamentalist': Umar Khalid". The Times of India .
  15. ↑ "10 things you should know about Umar Khalid". India Today. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  16. ↑ Khalid, Syed Umar (2018). "Changing Village Authority in an Adivasi Hinterland". Social Scientist. 46 (5–6): 77–86. JSTOR   26530805.
  17. ↑ "Afzal Guru: A martyr in JNU campus? Anti-India slogans raised, no arrests made". India Today. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  18. ↑ "JNU student leader held on 'sedition' charges over Afzal Guru event". The Indian Express. 13 February 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  19. ↑ "JNU row: Kanhaiya Kumar to lead push for Umar and Anirban's release from custody – Firstpost". www.firstpost.com. 14 March 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  20. ↑ Wahab, Hisham ul (29 February 2016). "The Way Umar Khalid Is Being Singled Out Proves Him Right". India Resists. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  21. ↑ Majumder, Sanjoy (15 February 2016). "Why an Indian student has been arrested for sedition". BBC News. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  22. ↑ "New Delhi campus row grabs national attention". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  23. ↑ "JNU sedition row: Kanhaiya fined Rs 10,000, Umar Khalid rusticated for one semester – Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  24. ↑ "JNU refuses to accept Umar's PhD thesis". The Hindu. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  25. ↑ "JNU says Umar, 2 others can't submit PhD papers – Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  26. ↑ "Despite HC Order, JNU Refuses to Accept PhD Thesis of Umar Khalid". The Wire. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  27. 1 2 "Allow five to submit thesis, Delhi HC tells JNU". The Indian Express. 25 July 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  28. ↑ Staff Reporter (3 August 2018). "JNU accepts Umar's thesis". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  29. ↑ "JNU Accepts Umar Khalid's PhD Thesis after Repeated Snubbing by HC | Caravan Daily". caravandaily.com. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  30. ↑ "Delhi Government gives nod for prosecuting Kanhaiya Kumar and two others in JNU sedition case". The Economic Times. 28 February 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  31. ↑ "Bhima-Koregaon violence: FIR against Jignesh Mevani, Umar Khalid for 'provocative' speeches in Pune". The Indian Express. 4 January 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  32. ↑ "JNU's Umar Khalid has narrow escape, assailant's gun jams". The Indian Express. 13 August 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  33. ↑ "Dastardly attempt to assassinate Umar Khalid | CJP". CJP. 13 August 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  34. ↑ "Attack on Umar Khalid: Protesters ask police why no action – Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  35. ↑ "Delhi court sends 2 men who attacked Umar Khalid to judicial custody – Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  36. ↑ "JNU student leader Umar Khalid attacked in Delhi, escapes unhurt". The Times of India. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  37. ↑ "Delhi Police Books Umar Khalid, Meeran Haider, Safoora Zargar Under UAPA". HuffPost India. 22 April 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  38. ↑ "A Lockdown of Rights: Umar Khalid, Yogendra Yadav on Delhi Arrests". The Quint. 5 May 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  39. ↑ "This is an attack on us all: Student leaders shocked after Umar Khalid charged under UAPA". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  40. ↑ Staff Reporter (22 April 2020). "Charge against former JNU student leader Umar Khalid not yet clear". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  41. ↑ "Umar Khalid held for Delhi riots 'conspiracy'". The Times of India . 14 September 2020.
  42. ↑ Singh Sengar, Mukesh; Shukla, Saurabh; Achom, Debanish (14 September 2020). "Former JNU Student Umar Khalid Arrested In Delhi Riots Case". NDTV.
  43. ↑ "Delhi Police get 10-day custody of Umar Khalid after his arrest under anti-terror law". Hindustan Times. 14 September 2020.
  44. ↑ Chaturvedi, Amit (24 November 2020). "Sufficient material to proceed against Umar Khalid': Delhi court after taking cognizance of riots conspiracy chargesheet". hindustan times. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  45. ↑ "Northeast Delhi riots: Court says Umar Khalid, Tahir Hussain conspired together | Delhi News – Times of India". The Times of India .
  46. ↑ Sodhi, Tanishka. "Mastermind of a 'conspiracy': Why Umar Khalid's bail plea was dismissed after 8 months of hearings". Newslaundry. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  47. ↑ "Umar Khalid: Activist denied bail in Delhi riots case". BBC. 24 March 2022.
  48. ↑ "Umar Khalid on His Two Years in Jail: 'I Feel Pessimistic at Times. And Also Lonely'". The Wire. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  49. ↑ "North East Delhi riots case: Umar Khalid's bail plea rejected by Delhi HC | Delhi News - Times of India". The Times of India. 18 October 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  50. ↑ Staff, The Wire (3 December 2022). "Delhi Court Acquits Umar Khalid, Khalid Saifi in 2020 Riots Stone-Pelting Case". The Wire (India) . Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  51. ↑ "Supreme Court judge recuses from hearing Umar Khalid's plea". The Hindu. 9 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  52. ↑ "Umar Khalid bail plea dropped from Supreme Court cause list". The Hindu. 17 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.