Explore

...

...

Next Story

Five years on, Umar Khalid awaits bail, trial

Umar Khalid, the 37-year-old Jawaharlal Nehru University history student, an avowed atheist, finished five years in jail on September 13.

Updated on: Sep 13, 2025, 04:04:35 IST

By Hemani Bhandari

Prefer HTon Google

Advertisement

On December 24, 2022, Sahiba Khanam was woken up by the trill of her mobile phone at 7am. On the other side of the line was her son Umar Khalid, minutes after he was released from Delhi’s Tihar Jail for the first time in two years.

Umar Khalid with his parents in December 2024, when he was last released on interim bail. (HT PHOTO)

“He just said salaam. I jumped out of bed and told everyone he’d be home in 30 minutes,” Khanam said.

Khalid, a student leader who was arrested in connection with the 2020

All Access.
One Subscription.

Get 360° coverage—from daily headlines
to 100 year archives.

E-Paper

Full
Archives

Full Access to
HT App & Website

Games

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hemani Bhandari

...Read MoreHemani Bhandari is a Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in New Delhi, where she reports on crime, policing, governance and social issues. With over a decade of experience in journalism, she specialises in combining on-ground reporting with evidence-based storytelling to examine the human impact of public policy, law enforcement and urban governance. Over the years, she has reported extensively on major developments in the capital, including crime investigations, civic challenges, protests, and issues affecting vulnerable communities. As a Special Correspondent, she focuses on producing exclusive investigations, enterprise stories and long-form features that go beyond daily news cycles. She has a keen interest in using public records, official data and field reporting to uncover systemic issues and present complex subjects in an accessible manner. A graduate of the Asian College of Journalism, Hemani believes in rigorous, ethical and evidence-based reporting. She is passionate about investigative journalism and continuously seeks to expand her skills in data journalism, open-source investigations and digital reporting techniques. Read Less

umar khalid tihar jail delhi riots PickOfTheDay

Get the latest India News, breaking headlines and real-time updates from across the country. Stay informed about politics, government policies, crime, weather and major national developments.

Get the latest India News, breaking headlines and real-time updates from across the country. Stay informed about politics, government policies, crime, weather and major national developments.

Home/India News/Five years on, Umar Khalid awaits bail, trial

See Less

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON