Eight Democratic lawmakers from the United States have written to India’s Ambassador in Washington, urging Indian authorities to grant bail and ensure a fair and timely trial for activist Umar Khalid, who has been in jail for more than five years without the commencement of his trial under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

The letter written by US Representatives Jim McGovern and Jamie Raskin expressed concern over Khalid’s prolonged pre-trial detention. The lawmakers questioned how his continued incarceration without trial aligns with international legal standards.

Umar Khalid, a former student of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), was arrested in connection with the alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 Delhi riots. Since his arrest, he has remained in custody, with his trial yet to begin.

Apart from McGovern and Raskin, the letter was signed by Chris Van Hollen, Peter Welch, Pramila Jayapal, Jan Schakowsky, Rashida Tlaib and Lloyd Doggett.

While acknowledging their “respect for India’s democratic institutions,” the lawmakers raised questions about the delay in judicial proceedings. They sought an explanation for why Khalid’s trial had not begun, even after more than five years since his arrest.

In the letter, the lawmakers urged Indian authorities to ensure that Khalid is given due process and that his case is heard in a fair and timely manner. They also flagged concerns over the prolonged use of pretrial detention under India’s anti-terror law and its implications for civil liberties.

Following the letter, Representative Jim McGovern amplified the appeal through a post on social media, where he said that he had met Khalid’s parents earlier this month in Washington.

“Earlier this month, I met with the parents of Umar Khalid, who has been jailed in India for over five years without trial,” McGovern wrote.

He added that he and Jamie Raskin were leading their colleagues in urging Indian authorities to grant Khalid bail and a fair, timely trial in accordance with international law.

The intervention by the US lawmakers comes even as Indian courts have granted Khalid interim bail on limited occasions.

On December 11, a Delhi court granted Khalid interim bail from December 16 to December 29 to allow him to attend his sister’s wedding. According to a PTI report, Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai allowed the interim relief in the case related to the alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 Delhi riots.

The court directed Khalid to furnish a personal bond of Rs 20,000 along with two sureties of the same amount. During the interim bail period, the court imposed several strict conditions. These included a restriction on the use of social media. Khalid was directed to meet only family members, relatives and friends and to remain either at his home or at venues where the wedding ceremonies were scheduled.

The court further ordered that Khalid must not contact any witnesses related to the case and must share his mobile phone number with the investigating officer. He was also instructed to surrender to prison authorities on the evening of December 29.

Khalid has earlier been granted interim bail on similar grounds. In 2023, he was allowed seven days of interim bail to attend a wedding, and similar relief was granted in 2022 as well.

Meanwhile, Khalid’s incarceration has continued to draw international attention.

In a separate development, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani wrote a handwritten letter to Umar Khalid expressing solidarity. A photograph of the note was shared on the social media platform X by Khalid’s friend Banojyotsna Lahiri on Thursday, the same day Mamdani was ceremonially sworn in as mayor.

In the brief note addressed to Khalid, Mamdani wrote, “Dear Umar, I think of your words on bitterness often, and the importance of not letting it consume one’s self. It was a pleasure to meet your parents. We are all thinking of you.”

According to multiple media reports, the note was handed over to Khalid’s parents when Mamdani met them during their visit to the United States in December 2025.

Lahiri told the Hindustan Times that Khalid’s parents, Sahiba Khanam and Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, had travelled to the US ahead of the wedding of their youngest daughter. They also went to meet another daughter who lives in the US and was unable to travel to India.

“They met Mamdani and a few others in the US and spent quite some time with him. That’s when he wrote this note,” Lahiri was quoted as saying.

She also spoke about Khalid’s brief time at home during his recent interim bail.

“Umar spent all his time at home as his bail conditions did not allow him to step out. But it went by so fast, as it had the two times earlier when he was out on bail. He had home-cooked food, which his mother often fed him, and he spent a lot of time with his nieces and nephews,” Lahiri said.

After the bail period ended, Khalid returned to jail.

Umar Khalid is a prime accused in the 2020 Delhi riots and has been in custody for over five years under the UAPA, with his trial yet to commence. The issue has continued to attract global attention, including the recent letter from US lawmakers questioning the prolonged delay in judicial proceedings and calling for bail and a fair, timely trial.

Meanwhile, Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old Indian-origin politician, was sworn in as New York City’s mayor on January 1, becoming the first South Asian and Muslim to hold the office. Mamdani, a Queens state assemblyman, took his oath on a centuries-old Quran and described his election as a symbol of hope and political change.