“Widen the circle”: New anthology stands in solidarity with incarcerated activist Umar Khalid

19/02/2026

Maktoob / by Fida Fahima

Released on Tuesday at the Press Club of India in New Delhi, the book “Umar Khalid and His World: An Anthology” seeks to “widen the circle of companionship” around anti-CAA activist Umar Khalid and serve as a tribute to those jailed or targeted for speaking out against injustice, the organisers said.
… The book further accuses the regime of responding to dissent with a “brazen witch-hunt,” referencing cases such as Bhima Koregaon and the Delhi riots, and alleging that misinformation and media trials were deployed to incarcerate what it terms “foot soldiers of the Constitution.”
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Mumbai Lecture on Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam Bail Denial Highlights UAPA’s Chilling Effect

15/02/2026

The Wire / by Nishtha Sood

Speakers at the ninth Shahid Azmi Memorial Lecture said the Supreme Court’s refusal to grant bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam under UAPA threatens the right to protest and deepens fears of institutional failure.
… Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves and Sudha Bharadwaj were among those in attendance.
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When The Personal Became Political At Shahid Azmi Memorial Lecture

11/02/2026

Outlook India / by Pritha Vashisth

Organised by Innocence Network India, the Shahid Azmi Memorial Lecture focused this year on the prolonged denial of bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam.
… Among those present were individuals out on bail in the Bhima Koregaon case, often referred to as the BK 16, including Sudha Bharadwaj, Vernon Gonsalves, and Hany Babu. There were also people who had faced incarceration in cases such as the 7/11 Mumbai train blasts before eventually being acquitted. Some sat quietly taking notes. Others listened with folded arms. A few wiped away tears.
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Also read:
▪ Incarceration As Politics: A Timeline Of Political Prisoners In Independent India (Outlook / Jan 2026)
▪ Voices From Prison Series: Of Lives Stolen For Dissent (Outlook / Jan 2026)
▪ Shadows of Judicial Indiscipline: On the Supreme Court’s bail denial to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam (The Leaflet / Jan 2026)