Spending six years in prison has made him realise that even people who sympathise with him often forget that he is a “human being” and sometimes it becomes difficult to maintain sanity, student activist Umar Khalid has said.
Khalid in an interview to The Guardianwhich was conducted after his family members and friends conveyed the questions and answers, said that spending such a long time jail, has taken a toll on his mind and body.
“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.
“Even those who sympathise with you, or portray you as someone larger than yourself, forget that I am a human being with my own share of vulnerabilities, fears and imperfections. And that these long years in prison have wreaked havoc on my mind and body and exacerbated all these anxieties within me,” added Khalid.
‘Propaganda dehumanises me’
Elaborating further on his ordeal behind bars, Khalid said that his fellow inmates refer to him as a “terrorist” in his absence adding that this “propaganda” was dehumanising him.
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“You even hear murmurs about yourself from fellow prisoners you shared meals with, calling you a terrorist behind your back. This propaganda dehumanises me in people’s eyes. Humanity is a privilege that is not granted to people like me,” he added.
Disappointed with Opposition
Khalid expressed his frustration about the Opposition’s failure to stand up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the rights of political prisoners in the country ever since the BJP came to power.
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“Six years down the line, I must say that I am really disappointed and even feel isolated,” said Khalid.
“This silence – of opposition parties, of civil society groups, of celebrity activists who have made a career out of piggy-backing on people’s movements – emboldens this regime to go after further dissidents,” he added.
Case against Khalid
Khalid was taken into custody in September 2020 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) after the Delhi Police accused him of being a “key conspirator” behind the 2020 Delhi riots and of plotting a “violent regime change”.
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He has repeatedly rejected the allegations. The BJP has maintained that the case against him is being handled through an independent judicial process and is not politically motivated, reported the Hindustan Times.
Earlier this month, a Delhi court issued a notice to the Delhi Police on fresh bail pleas moved by Khalid in the larger conspiracy case linked to the 2020 Delhi riots.
Additional Sessions Judge Sumedh Kumar Sethi of the Karkardooma Courts has fixed July 4 for hearing arguments in the matter.
Latest bail plea
In his latest application, Khalid has argued that there has been a change in circumstances, relying on a Supreme Court judgment delivered on May 18 by a bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan while granting bail to Jammu and Kashmir resident Syed Iftikhar Andrabi in a narco-terror case investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Also Read: Delhi court rejects Umar Khalid’s interim bail plea, says it’s ‘not reasonable’
The Supreme Court had expressed “serious reservations” about the reasoning adopted in an earlier order passed on January 5, observing that it did not properly apply the principles laid down by a larger three-judge bench in Union of India Vs KA Najeeb (2021).
That ruling held that prolonged incarceration and delays in the trial could outweigh the statutory restrictions on bail under Section 43D(5) of the UAPA.
The apex court had also objected to the earlier direction that Khalid and Imam could renew their bail pleas only after the examination of protected witnesses or after one year, whichever was earlier.
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