Priyank Kharge questions delay in Umar Khalid’s trial

NEW DELHI: Karnataka home minister Priyank Kharge on Wednesday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were “afraid” of jailed student activist Umar Khalid and challenged them to conduct his trial.“Why are they (BJP government) not bringing up the trial? It’s been so many years that he’s in jail; there are apparently some charge sheets on him. Why is the trial not going on? Why are they (BJP) so afraid to conduct the trial? Mr Modi and Amit Shah, why are you so afraid of Umar Khalid? Take action,” Priyank said, as cited by PTI.“Who is telling Mr Umar Khalid is anti-national? Has the court said that? BJP is telling he’s an anti-national. BJP tomorrow will tell you that you are an anti-national. Do we have to believe that?” he added.Kharge advised the ABVP to focus on more constructive activities and said the student organisation should take up issues such as education reforms with the Union government.“Talk about the education reforms that youngsters, the Gen Z, are talking about. Talk about the KPSC scam that your (BJP) leaders are involved in. Why are you behind Umar Khalid? He’s in jail. How is he harming you? Convict him. Who’s saying no? But why is ABVP indulging in all these things about which documentary to be shown, which documentary not to be shown? This kind of goondaism will not be tolerated,” he said.Khalid was arrested in September 2020 in connection with the larger conspiracy case related to the February 2020 Delhi riots and was booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, among other provisions. Kharge questioned why the trial had not yet commenced.The development comes a day after Karnataka Congress president BK Hariprasad described Khalid as a “nationalist” and criticised the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) over its demand for the permanent cancellation of a proposed documentary screening on the jailed activist at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU).Hariprasad also questioned the student organisation’s moral authority to comment on Khalid.“Umar Khalid is a nationalist, and ABVP has no right to speak on him because they adore Nathuram Godse—who was an anti-national and the first terrorist of the country. They have no moral right,” Hariprasad said.The remarks came after the RSS-affiliated student organisation sought the Centre’s intervention to permanently cancel the proposed screening of the documentary Prisoner No. 626710 is Present, directed by Lalit Vachani, at NLSIU.

The screening was recently postponed by the organisers, who cited security and administrative reasons. In a statement on Monday, ABVP Bengaluru said it had submitted representations to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi and Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal, seeking their intervention.The organisation also called for a high-level inquiry into the NLSIU administration over the proposed screening.