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New Delhi: Umar Khalid, a former student activist, has been incarcerated since September 2020 without trial under India’s Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
According to Kashmir Media Service, Khalid is imprisoned on charges of inciting riots during the 2020 protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), a charge he and his supporters claim is false. He remains in custody without bail as he awaits a hearing on Monday, which his supporters hope will be pivotal in determining his fate.
The 37-year-old, who once led as a student at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), has consistently maintained that his participation in the anti-CAA movement was peaceful. The 2020 Delhi riots, which resulted in over 50 deaths mostly from the Muslim community, occurred amidst clashes over the CAA, a law criticized for discriminating against Muslims.
Khalid faces several charges under the UAPA, which allows for prolonged detention without trial. This has drawn widespread criticism from rights advocates who argue that the law is being misused to silence dissenting voices critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
The protests against the CAA marked a significant shift in India’s political landscape, and Khalid’s detention has become emblematic of alleged systemic bias and repression of dissent within the country.
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