Hyderabad: Countless activists stood in solidarity with human rights activist Umar Khalid as they tweeted #umarkorihakaro yesterday. Khalid has been jailed for the last 300 days after he was booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) on allegations of instigating the Delhi riots in February 2020.
What adds to the Twitter users’ rage is the recent death of Father Stan Swamy who died in prison for his alleged involvement in the Bhima-Koregaon riots. Dubbing the UAPA as a barbaric law, countless activists have time and again made a case for the release of political prisoners who were unfairly maligned just for speaking against the current regime’s governance.
Poet Hussain Haidry in his tweet noted that Khalid had written an article right before his arrest that he was being framed on false charges by the police. Another photograph openly contrasted the values Umar Khalif stood for and opposed it with perpetrators of violence who have gone scot free.
Speaking to Siasat.com, poet and activist Nabiya Khan notes that, “With every arrest of fearless pathbreakers and dedicated activists like Umar Khalid, democracy in India dies a thousand deaths. Umar Khalid and others like him who are falsely incarcerated are losing precious years of their lives because they stood up against the fascist government. We must remember each and every political prisoner in these times.”
Nabiya also dedicated an ode to Khalid and other prisoners who were unfairly maligned and incarcerated under the UAPA and added that “even in the darkest of times, we have to find a way to resist, and ask for the independence of these prisoners.”