There is a beautiful video on Twitter (June 9) and other social media handles that reminds us sombrely that Umar Khalid that young seasoned warrior has been inside of the famed and named Tihar Jail for a thousand days. Unlike the Arabian nights where wonder, demons, fantasy filled the narrative these days – and nights –that Umar has been kept confined has honed this steely youth,
Here is the Video that so pungently describes India’s Strings of Dirt and makes us stop. And think. Are we doing enough for Umar Khalid and the likes of him confined and chained? It is a wakeup call to you and to me, to also the media houses who have shut their eyes and ears to the reality that confronts us all.
If you have already seen this video, then watch it again.
If you haven’t, then watch it to Understand #UmarKhalid better.मैल की बत्ती और उमर… #1000DaysOfInjustice
Part – 1 pic.twitter.com/FDMBbjR6hF
— Darab Farooqui (@darab_farooqui) June 9, 2023
“उमर खालिद जो नफ़रत के बदले प्यार की बात करता था वो जेल में है। लेकिन गोली चलाने वाला रामभक्त गोपाल बाहर है, भड़काऊ भाषण देने वाला कपिल मिश्रा बाहर है।”
दिल्ली दंगों का सच जानने के लिए देखिए @ShyamMeeraSingh की वीडियो: https://t.co/zJqKrlT6yw#1000DaysOfInjustice pic.twitter.com/YrqwxtHPDN
— Free Umar Khalid (@FreeUmarKhalid1) June 9, 2023
Here is another social media tweet from yesterday #ShyamMeeraSingh #1000DaysofInjustice
“उमर खालिद जो नफ़रत के बदले प्यार की बात करता था वो जेल में है। लेकिन गोली चलाने वाला रामभक्त गोपाल बाहर है, भड़काऊ भाषण देने वाला कपिल मिश्रा बाहर है।” दिल्ली दंगों का सच जानने के लिए देखिए @ShyamMeeraSingh की वीडियो:
Caravan Magazine put it presciently
Today, #UmarKhalid completes 1000 days in prison over a case connected to the 2020 Delhi riots.
From 2022, how Khalid’s trial can set a precedent for the treatment of all terrorism and sedition cases and for the state’s strategy to deal with dissent: https://t.co/8ZJmgxvSqW
— The Caravan (@thecaravanindia) June 9, 2023
Today, #UmarKhalid completes 1000 days in prison over a case connected to the 2020 Delhi riots. From 2022, how Khalid’s trial can set a precedent for the treatment of all terrorism and sedition cases and for the state’s strategy to deal with dissent:
On Friday June 9 afternoon, the courtyard of the Press Club was crowded with a solidarity group, packed as journalists, students, activists and academicians gathered to hear panelists talk as they marked 1,000 days of Khalid’s incarceration. The speakers included journalist Ravish Kumar and senior economist Prabhat Patnaik.Supreme Court advocate Shahrukh Alam, who spoke at the event, noted that the Station House Officer, instead of invoking sections of the law, had used the authority of his office to order the cancellation of the event. “There is no legal basis for such a request,” said Alam. She added: “We are not thinking in terms of constitutional and civil liberties. We are operating in terms of law and order and national security.”
Senior journalist Ravish Kumar on his You Tube channel has hostel this episode especially on the injustice behind Umar Khalid’s arrest and long incarceration. The venue for the event had to be changed at the last minute: around 9 pm on Thursday, Delhi-based activist Nadeem Khan shared a poster with journalists on WhatsApp asking them to attend an event marking 1,000 days of the incarceration of activist Umar Khalid. Khalid has been behind bars since September 13, 2020, under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, for his alleged involvement in the Delhi riots earlier that year.
The poster titled “Democracy, Dissent and Censorship: A Discussion by Concerned Citizens” said the event was scheduled for 3 pm on Friday. The venue: the Press Club of India at Raisina Road in New Delhi. Earlier the venue was Gandhi Peace Foundation at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg near ITO in the national capital. The poster, too, had a slightly different title: “Dissent Under Trial: 1000 days of Injustice”.But on Thursday, the IP Estates Police Station wrote to the office-bearers of the Gandhi Peace Foundation, a charitable trust, telling them to cancel the booking for the event, according to a copy of the letter accessed by Scroll.
This is the latest of efforts in the capital for the Delhi police that falls under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to restrict dissenting opinion and permissions in public spaces.
Related:
Delhi court rejects application to handcuff Umar Khalid & Khalid Saifi
Umar Khalid’s speech prima facie not acceptable, obnoxious: Delhi HC
Protest was secular, chargesheet is communal: Dr. Umar Khalid’s counsel
Umar Khalid bail hearing: Counsel points out “cooked up” witnesses
Chargesheet against me looks like a film script: Umar Khalid to court