BJP moves to block Bengaluru event on jailed activist Umar Khalid's book

The Karnataka BJP on Monday (April 27) has petitioned Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh to cancel an event involving a reading from a jailed activist Umar Khalid’s book tomorrow in the city.

However, the organisers, which includes Bahutva Karnataka, PUCL and the All India Lawyers Association for Justice, have decided to go ahead with the event. The event, which is being held at the Bangalore International Centre at 6 pm tomorrow, will now be held with police protection.

"We are going ahead with the event and preparations are on. We will fully cooperate with the police," an organiser told The Federal, adding that there has been an overwhelming response for the event.

Reading from Umar Khalid's book

The event is a reading session from a new anthology featuring the writings by and about the incarcerated activist Umar Khalid, titled Umar Khalid and His World. The book, which was released in early 2026, is a compilation of his letters, essays, and reflections from Tihar Jail.

Also read: Umar Khalid case: Denial of bail can't be punishment, says ex-CJI Chandrachud

The editors of the book, Anirban Bhattacharya, Banojyotsna Lahiri and Shuddhabrata Sengupta, will read excerpts from the book and this is to be followed by a discussion with historians Janaki Nair, Ramachandra Guha, and actor-public intellectual Prakash Raj.

The session will be moderated by Aravind Narrain of PUCL.

BJP urges police to cancel event

Earlier, Hindu Janajagruti Samiti and the Hindu Rashtra Samanvaya Samiti, too, had urged the police to cancel the programme. However, the organisers refused to budge and today a delegation of BJP leaders led by Bengaluru Central MP P C Mohan met the Commissioner and submitted a memorandum in this regard.

In his memorandum, Mohan said that in Bengaluru city, an event has been organised under the platform "Umar Khalid Prapancha" to express support for Khalid, who is currently under arrest under anti-terrorism laws.

Stating that the central government has cracked down on Naxalites, he said that “urban Naxals” are still active supporting anti-national activities. Further, he stated that Khalid has been denied bail by the courts for the past three years because he is facing serious charges.

“Glorifying such an individual would amount to encouraging criminal elements. It is shocking that such an event is being held in our city. It is also a matter of serious concern that pro-Umar Khalid slogans and wall writings have already appeared across the city, indicating the spread of such networks," said the memorandum.

"In the interest of maintaining peace in the city, we request that the permission granted for this event be withdrawn. If the event proceeds and any law and order situation arises, the BJP will not be responsible for it. We urge you to consider our request in the interest of the city and cancel the event," it added.

Umar Khalid in jail

Khalid, a former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student leader, and vocal critic of the Indian government, was arrested in September 2020 under the stringent UAPA law for alleged involvement in the 2020 Delhi riots. He has been in Tihar Jail since then for over 2,000 days without trial.

The Supreme Court on April 20 dismissed activist Khalid's plea seeking a review of a verdict denying him bail, while observing that there are reasonable grounds to believe the allegations levelled against him in connection with a conspiracy behind the 2020 Delhi riots.

Umar Khalid and His World: An Anthology chronicles the alleged stifling of dissent and the contrived political circumstances meant to help the agenda of an autocratic state.