Eight lawmakers from the United States have penned a letter to Indian Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra, urging India to grant bail and a free trial “in accordance to international law” to Umar Khalid, an accused in a larger conspiracy case related to the 2020 North East Delhi riots.
In the letter dated December 30, 2025, the U.S. lawmakers pledged support to the jailed student activist and sought the government to “share the steps being taken to ensure that the judicial proceedings against Umar Khalid and those of his co-accused who remain in detention comport with international standards’.
This follows another separate letter from newly sworn in Mayor of New York City Zohran Mamdani who penned a note remembering Mr. Khalid and his meeting with Mr. Khalid’s parents.
The letter by the U.S. lawmakers was shared by Democrat Jim McGovern, who is also the Co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. The others who had signed on it include Democrat Jamie Raskin, Indian-origin Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, U.S. Representatives Jan Schakowsky, Lloyd Dogget, Rashid Tlaib, and U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen, and Peter Welch.
As per the letter, Mr. McGovern and others had met Umar Khalid’s parents earlier in December. “Representative Raskin and I are leading our colleagues to urge that he be granted bail and a fair, timely trial in accordance with international law,” he said, sharing the signed letter in a post on X.
“Umar Khalid has been detained without bail for 5 years under UAPA, which independent human rights experts have warned may contravene international standards of equality before the law, due process and proportionality…India must uphold the rights of individuals to receive a trial with reasonable time or to be release and be presume innocent until proven guilty…,” the letter read.
“The U.S. and India share a long standing strategic partnership that has historically been rooted in democratic values, constitutional governance and strong people-to-people ties,” the letter said, adding that as the world’s largest democracies, both nations have an interest in protecting and upholding freedom, the rule of law, human rights and pluralism. “It is in this spirit” that the lawmakers said they are raising their concerns regarding Mr. Khalid’s detention.
The lawmakers claimed that human rights organisations, legal experts and global media have raised questions about the fairness of the investigation and legal process related to Mr. Khalid’s detention.
This story was originally published in thehindu.com. Read the full story here.
