Delhi riots case: Why won’t India release Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam?

Al JazeeraEN 7 min read 100% complete by Yashraj SharmaJanuary 5, 2026 at 04:54 PM

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long article 7 min

In 2026, India's Supreme Court granted bail to five Muslim students and activists imprisoned for over five years related to the 2020 Delhi riots. However, Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, also arrested in connection with the riots, were denied bail and remain jailed awaiting trial. The arrests stem from protests against a 2019 citizenship law that Muslims claim is discriminatory. Critics argue that the prolonged detention of these individuals exemplifies the persecution of Muslims under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. Many were arrested under "anti-terror" laws following the protests.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Jawaharlal Nehru University 30% Shamshad Ahmed 40% Shadab Ahmed 40% Zohran Mamdani ×240% Tihar jail 50% 2020 religious riots 60% Supreme Court 60% New Delhi ×270% Narendra Modi ×370% Sharjeel Imam ×380% India ×590% Umar Khalid ×590%

Keywords

umar khalid 90% delhi riots 90% sharjeel imam 80% muslims 80% institutional persecution 70% narendra modi 70% citizenship law 60% anti-terror laws 60% human rights 50% political prisoners 50%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.40

Source Transparency

Source

Al Jazeera

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis.

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umar khalid delhi riots sharjeel imam muslims institutional persecution narendra modi citizenship law anti-terror laws human rights political prisoners

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