Mamdani Activates ‘Khalid Toolkit’ | Image:Republic
New Delhi: In a blatant attempt to interfere in the Indian judicial system, eight US lawmakers have written to India’s Ambassador in Washington, urging him to grant bail to jailed activist Umar Khalid and a fair, timely trial.
Khalid, accused of a larger conspiracy behind the 2020 Delhi riots, has been in custody for more than five years under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Led by US Representatives Jim McGovern and Jamie Raskin, the letter on interference in India’s judicial affairs not only urges Indian authorities to grant bail to ‘tukde tukde’ activist Khalid, but also to ensure that his trial begins without any further delay. Signers of the letter also include Chris Van Hollen, Peter Welch, Pramila Jayapal, Jan Schakowsky, Rashida Tlaib and Lloyd Doggett.
‘Khalid Toolkit’
US lawmakers questioned the Indian judiciary and asked how Khalid’s continued detention without trial comports with international legal norms.
The MPs also grilled the Indian judiciary on why judicial proceedings have yet to begin more than five years after the activist’s arrest and pressed New Delhi to ensure that Khalid receives due process and that his case is heard in a fair and timely manner.
The MPs also expressed concern over the prolonged use of pre-trial detention under India’s anti-terrorism law and its effects on civil liberties, calling it an inappropriate intervention.
Interference in India’s internal affairs
The letter noted that eight members of the US Congress supported Omar Khalid by demanding a free and timely trial. This move is seen by many as an unwarranted interference in India’s internal affairs.
Explaining further, McGovern took Khalid’s side, calling for bail and a timely hearing through social media posts, and said he met Khalid’s parents in Washington earlier this month. “Earlier this month, I met the parents of Umar Khalid, who has been jailed without trial in India for more than five years,” he said.
Khalid’s parents, Sahiba Khanum and Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, had gone to the US before their youngest daughter’s wedding so that they could meet their other daughter who lived there and had not been able to come to India. McGovern intervened in the Indian judicial process, saying that he and Raskin, along with their colleagues, are urging Indian authorities to grant Khalid bail in accordance with international law and to grant him a fair, timely trial.
Mamdani supported riot accused Omar Khalid
New York City’s Indian-origin mayor Zoharan Mamdani, who last year became the city’s first Asian American and Muslim mayor, also expressed solidarity with jailed activist and JNU alumnus Umar Khalid and wrote a letter to him.
Khalid’s friend Banojyotsna Lahiri shared a photo of the note written by Mamdani, 34, to Khalid on social media platform
According to multiple media reports, the note was handed over to Khaled’s parents when Mamdani met them during a visit to the United States in December 2025.
Omar Khalid’s bail
Khalid was granted interim bail by a Delhi court last month to attend his sister’s wedding from December 16 to 29 and after completing his period, he surrendered in Delhi’s Tihar Jail on Sunday, December 29.
During the interim bail period, the Court imposed several conditions, including directing her to meet only family members, relatives and friends and to stay in her home or at places where marriage ceremonies were scheduled to take place. The activist was also banned from using social media.
Last year, she was granted interim bail of seven days to attend a second marriage, and then similar relief in 2022.
Omar Khalid’s role in Delhi riots
Omar Khalid, 38, a former Jawaharlal Nehru University student leader, was arrested in September 2020 on charges of alleged conspiracy related to the 2020 Delhi riots, which left 53 people dead.
Prosecutors have accused him of being part of a larger conspiracy to incite violence. He has consistently denied these allegations. Police have charged him and several other activists, including Sharjeel Imam, Mohammad Salim Khan, Shifa Ur Rehman, Athar Khan, Meeran Haider, Abdul Khalid Saifi, Gulfisha Fatima and Shadab, with “inciting riots”.
Courts have repeatedly rejected his bail plea, saying “conspiratorial violence cannot be permitted under the guise of civil demonstrations or protests.”
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