Why Are Modi and Shah Afraid of Umar Khalid? Priyank Kharge’s Challenge Draws Wider Attention

BENGALURU: Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge’s sharp challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the prolonged imprisonment of former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) research scholar Umar Khalid has drawn attention to the delay in his trial and the BJP’s repeated description of him as anti-national. The questions raised by Kharge, widely reported in the national and regional media, have acquired fresh significance following Khalid’s recognition with an international human rights award.

“Mr Modi and Amit Shah, why are you so afraid of Umar Khalid? Take action,” Kharge told reporters in Bengaluru on September 16, directly questioning the country’s highest political leadership over the case.

He asked why Khalid had remained in prison for more than six years without his trial beginning, despite chargesheets having been filed. “Why are they not bringing up the trial?” he asked, pressing the authorities to proceed with the case rather than allowing it to remain unresolved.

Kharge was particularly forceful in challenging the BJP’s authority to brand Khalid anti-national. “Who is telling Mr Umar Khalid is anti-national? Has the court said that?” he asked. If the BJP could label Khalid anti-national without a judicial finding, he argued, it could similarly apply that label to anyone. He questioned whether the party had assumed the responsibility of distributing certificates of patriotism and insisted that such judgments belonged to the courts.

The minister’s remarks received prominent coverage in The New Indian Express, The Times of India, The News Minute and Kannada media organisation Udayavani, among other outlets. The controversy also entered social media discussions, where the BJP’s criticism of Congress leaders and the opposition to a documentary on Khalid formed part of the wider political exchange.

Kharge’s intervention followed a dispute at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru, over the proposed screening of a documentary on Khalid. The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) opposed the screening, while Congress leader B. K. Hariprasad’s description of Khalid as a nationalist drew strong criticism from the BJP. Umar Khalid has been awarded 2026 Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk by Ireland-based human rights organisation Front Line Defenders in Dublin. The award was received by his father Dr. SQR Ilyas at a function in Dublin on October 7. Khalid is one of the five human rights defenders from around the world for his exceptional work.

Turning his criticism towards the ABVP, Kharge asked why the organisation was pursuing a student activist already in prison rather than raising questions about education reforms and alleged irregularities in Karnataka Public Service Commission recruitment. “Why are you behind Umar Khalid? He’s in jail. How is he harming you?” he asked. He also warned against intimidation over decisions concerning documentary screenings.

The BJP rejected the Congress leaders’ defence of Khalid. Karnataka BJP president B. Y. Vijayendra criticised Hariprasad’s remarks and supported the ABVP’s opposition to the screening, arguing that the Congress was disregarding concerns relating to national security. The ABVP maintained that educational institutions should not become platforms for what it described as the glorification of anti-national elements.

Meanwhile, Khalid’s case has gained renewed international attention after the Ireland-based Front Line Defenders named him the Asia-Pacific recipient of its 2026 Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk. He was among five human rights defenders honoured worldwide at a ceremony in Dublin on October 8. The organisation recognised his work on civil liberties and minority rights. Khalid, who remains imprisoned, could not attend the ceremony and was represented by his father.

Umar Khalid, arrested in September 2020 in connection with the alleged conspiracy behind the Delhi riots, remains in prison under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). He has repeatedly been denied bail but has not been convicted, and he denies the allegations against him.

Supporting Kharge’s concerns, Advocate Akhila Vidya, Vice-President of the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), Karnataka, told this correspondent that Khalid’s prolonged imprisonment without conviction raised serious constitutional questions. APCR has been part of the campaign demanding his release. Describing the allegations as baseless and his continued custody as unjustified, she stressed that bail should be the rule and jail the exception. “He deserves freedom. He deserves to live a normal life,” she said, urging the constitutional courts to intervene.

Kharge’s challenge has brought two questions into sharper focus: why Khalid’s trial has remained pending for so long, and who has the authority to pronounce an accused person anti-national before a court has determined his guilt. The international recognition of Khalid’s human rights activism has added another dimension to a controversy that continues to engage political parties, civil rights organisations and sections of the student community.

This article Published on India Tomorrow