On the eve of 28 December, when the world was indulging in Christmas food and waiting for the new year, student activist Umar Khalid came out of prison to spend a week with his family to attend a wedding. Sounds strange, doesn’t it? An accused under the UAPA in the larger conspiracy of the Delhi Riots 2020 getting glittery treatment of words? This is exactly what happened as Khalid spent a week on bail. Though he is back in jail awaiting trial for the case, the way Indian media and “liberals” romanticised it deserves a slow clap, to say the least.
The Indian Express, one of the widely read mainstream newspapers, published a long article explaining what his family said and how Khalid spent his week at home. Titled “When Umar Khalid Came Home,” the piece was authored by Nirbhay Thakur. The feature image showed Khalid and his father, Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, a former SIMI operative. Quotes from his parents, his close friend Banojyotsna Lahiri, and others were included in the article in emotional, candid ways.
Lahiri did not miss any opportunity to show “optimism” that Khalid would get bail soon. She told The Indian Express that Khalid thinks “the fake charges against him cannot go on forever.” She added, “We know this will be over soon.”
While Khalid enjoyed home-cooked mutton alongside burgers, pizzas, and cakes brought by his friends, it has been claimed that Ilyas has drawn some “red lines” at home. As he is a critic of the US and Israel, despite Khalid’s love for cold drinks, their fridge was filled only with “Campa Cola,” a cold drink brand recently revived by… drumroll… MUKESH DHIRUBHAI AMBANI!
So, does this mean Khalid’s family has a soft spot for Ambani? The same Ambani who, according to Left-liberals, is a symbol of corporate greed and detrimental to the country? Quite the conundrum, at least for layman (or laypeople?!?!) like us. While the rest of The Indian Express article was filled with setting a narrative that Umar Khalid is an innocent activist who has been jailed without trial due to “politics” or some other reason, many others jumped on the same bandwagon of making him a superstar — the Allu Arjun of liberals.
Before The Indian Express, on the day Khalid was supposed to return to prison, liberals’ favourite comedian, who has a lot of free time on his hands, Kunal Kamra, shared a photo with him on social media. He wrote, “Heart knows no concept of time,” suggesting that even though they had not met for years, Khalid and Kamra were still friends. The post was “loved” by many including actress Richa Chadha who threw a heart in comments and Urfi who liked the post.
The photograph with unicorny comments was shared by many media houses including ABP News, Live Mint, Lallantop and many others. These media houses included comments like “This is the best picture of 2025! I hope we see many more” and “So so so heartwarming to see Umar doing normal person things in normal person atmosphere. More photos of Umar please” while addressing Khalid specifically as “activist”. The PR for Khalid runs at its best from time-to-time.
Darab Farooqui, on 4th January, a day after he went back to jail, wrote, “Umar Khalid will inspire generations to come in India.” It is funny how when either he comes out of jail on bail or there is a bail hearing scheduled, many like Darab take on social media to draw a glorious painting of Khalid, as if he is some celebrity fantasy hero imprisoned by an evil demon away in some unknown castle.
Anirban Bhattacharya, a student of JNU wrote on Facebook, “It feels like a multiverse. He came for seven days through a portal. And today he was sucked back into it. Back to the monochromatic world of iron bars and grimmer shades. We stay back in the other universe where we dwell in silent complicity as hate-guzzlers roam free. All we have in common on both ends of the portal is the memory of these seven days. Seven days of joy, of well wishers, of catching up, of sharing, of hope, of laughter and lame jokes. And then he goes back wearing a black sweat shirt and an endearing smile. It is them, the dissenters like him, who are the true heroes of this multiverse that is India today. Stay strong Umar!”
Umar Khalid and his role in Delhi’s anti-Hindu riots
On 14th September 2020, Umar Khalid, former JNU student and son of an ex-SIMI member was arrested for his role in the Delhi anti-Hindu riots that broke out on the 24th of February. He, along with others, was booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act or UAPA and relative provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for being the masterminds of the riots. Umar Khalid, son of Ilyas on the other hand admitted to the Delhi police that he was involved in organizing Muslim groups, instigating them, and preparing for the large-scale violence.
The riot that Khalid and others instigated, claimed 53 lives.
He had mobilized the Muslims to run riots, block roads and harass the public, by asserting that the new law was ‘against Muslims’ and had also planned to involve women and children in the ‘Chakka Jam’ amid the visit of US President Trump to India. He had allegedly met the former AAP Councillor Tahir Hussain and another accused Khalid Saifi to assure logistical support during the riots through his contacts in the PFI. According to the reports, the agencies have been watching and warning about the nexus between Maoists whose front organization Khalid is aligned with, and hardline Islamists allegedly represented by Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Welfare Party of India, and banned outfit SIMI. He had also repeated Pakistani talking points in Kashmir and claimed that the Indian Union territory was occupied by Indian forces.
The romanticisation of Umar Khalid by parts of the media and some “liberals” raises serious concerns. Despite facing charges under UAPA for his role in anti-Hindu riots, he is portrayed as a victim or even a hero. Glowing articles and celebrity endorsements ignore the seriousness of his actions. This selective sympathy undermines justice and sets a dangerous trend. It’s worth asking if such glorification helps justice or just fuels a biased narrative.
