After a group of US lawmakers wrote to an Indian envoy urging for "fair and timely trial" for activist Umar Khalid, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has taken a strong objection and alleged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's link with the "anti-India" panel behind the letter.
The BJP was reacting to the letter written by eight US lawmakers to Indian Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra urging India to grant bail and a free trial to Khalid, who is lodged in jail for five years in the 2020 Delhi riots case.
BJP leader Pradeep Bhandari said US Representative Jan Schakowsky, who was among the eight US lawmakers behind the letter, had a meeting with Rahul Gandhi, along with "anti-India" Ilhan Omar in 2024.
Sharing a photograph of the meeting where Gandhi can be seen with Schakowsky, Sam Pitroda and others, the BJP leader alleged, “Every time an anti-India narrative is peddled abroad, one name keeps recurring in the background: Rahul Gandhi.”
Bhandari claimed that after meeting Rahul Gandhi in 2024, Schakowsky introduced the “Combating International Islamophobia Act” in the following year, naming India and alleging “crackdowns on Muslim communities.”
"The same Jan Schakowsky writes to the Government of India, raising “concerns” over Umar Khalid — an accused under UAPA in serious cases linked to riots and violence," he added.
He further claimed that whoever "wants to weaken India, defame its elected government, and dilute anti-terror laws" seem to converge around Gandhi.
US Representatives Jan Schakowsky, Rashid Tlaib, Indian-origin Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, along with others, expressed concern regarding the "prolonged pre-trial detention of individuals charged in connection with the February 2020 violence in Delhi,” including Khalid.
Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Meeran Haider, Khalid Saifi, along with several others have been booked under the stringent anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA) and provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for allegedly conspiring the Delhi riots in February 2020, which left 53 people dead and more than 700 injured.
"The US and India share a long-standing strategic partnership that has historically been rooted in democratic values, constitutional governance and strong people-to-people ties,” the letter said, according to PTI news agency.
It added that as the world's largest democracies, both the countries have an interest in protecting and upholding freedom, the rule of law, human rights and pluralism.
The American lawmakers said that human rights organisations, legal experts and global media have raised questions about the fairness of the investigation and legal process related to Khalid’s detention.
"Khalid has been detained without bail for five years for charges levied under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, which independent human rights experts have warned may contravene international standards of equality before the law, due process and proportionality," the letter added.
Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani also wrote a note for Khalid, recalling his words on “bitterness” and the importance of not letting it "consume one's self."
“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,” Mamdani's handwritten note said. The note was shared by Khalid’s partner Banojyotsna Lahiri on X.
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