‘Umar Khalid is in jail to ensure society doesn’t turn into prison’
Bengaluru: Actor Prakash Raj has said that incarcerated activist Umar Khalid was standing and fighting for everyone in the country, and his imprisonment symbolised resistance against a society “turning into a prison”.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Prakash Raj made the remarks during a panel discussion and reading of excerpts from a book titled ‘Umar Khalid and His World’ at the Bangalore International Centre (BIC).
The panel also included writer-historian Ramachandra Guha and historian Janaki Nair.
Actor and public intellectual Prakash Raj, during a discussion on the book ‘Umar Khalid and His World’ at the Bangalore International Centre, in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
The event focused on Khalid’s writings, incarceration, and the broader political and social context reflected in the book.
“As we sit here, the supreme leader of the regime has given a statement during campaigning – ‘Give me your vote, I’ll give you freedom’,” Mr. Raj said.
“I’m here because Umar Khalid is standing and fighting for all of us,” the actor said.
“He is in jail to ensure that this country doesn’t become a prison. For Umar Khalid, jailing is like fermentation where he is brewing,” Mr. Raj said.
He also expressed hope that when he comes out (of jail), Khalid will speak “richer and deeper”.
Ramachandra Guha said the book featuring a rich and diverse mix of contributors revealed “at least eight different Umar Khalids”, including a thinker, a writer and a democratically minded citizen with a passionate commitment to freedom and justice.
He also referred to Umar Khalid’s prison writings.
“For all its hardships, jail has also led to several positive changes in his life,” Guha said, highlighting what he termed an “unquenchable spirit”.
Mr. Guha added that the volume was a work of enormous complexity, judgment and balance, noting that it was “easier to write your own book than editing such a collection”.
Ms Janaki Nair in her remarks, said the book went beyond an individual narrative and documented a wider historical process.
“This book actually represents the archive of a very important historical moment in India,” she said.
The historian added that the book bore witness to the “vilification and dispossession, incarceration, and the death of Indian Muslims in recent years”.She also criticised the proliferation of terms such as ‘Jihad’ as a disparaging epithet.
“After today’s event, we can even add ‘Book Jihad’ to the list. And it is probably going to be added to the lexicon,” Ms. Nair said.
She also warned that such narratives had become historical truth with serious consequences.
Umar Khalid, a former research scholar at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, has been in jail since September 13, 2020, on charges of delivering provocative speeches during anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests.
The February 2020 Delhi riots, which occurred during US President Donald Trump’s visit, claimed 53 lives and left over 700 injured. The violence erupted during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC).
