Family savours week with Umar Khalid: Sound sleep, home food & Campa Cola | Delhi News

But then, both are hopeful, too.

From someone who was anxious and disturbed two years ago, Ilyas said he saw a changed man in Khalid this time. “This time, he’s optimistic that he will get bail soon. He thinks the fake charges against him can’t go on forever,” the father said with a smile while sipping tea. “We know this will be over soon. We all are optimistic,” said Banojyotsna. She added that despite the weight loss, “he is doing fine”.

According to the interim bail conditions, Khalid could only meet family members, relatives and friends, and had to remain at home “or at places where the ceremonies of marriage as mentioned by him will take place”. (Express Image)

Khalid’s imprisonment in the riots case has been controversial with his family and supporters calling the charges “fake” even as the prosecution has described him in the chargesheet as a “veteran of sedition” mainly in reference to his alleged remarks as an activist.

Khalid, along with others, is facing allegations of a “larger conspiracy” to allegedly cause the riots in northeast Delhi between February 23, 2020, and February 25, 2020, which left 53 people dead and over 700 injured. He has been booked for offences under the Indian Penal Code, Prevention of Damage to Public Property (PDPP) Act, Arms Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

Khalid’s bail pleas have been rejected thrice — twice by the Karkardooma court and once by Delhi High Court. Khalid was granted interim bail once before — on December 23, 2022, for a week.

“How can staying in a cage for four years be easy for someone who loves being out in the public all the time… He was savouring every ray of sunlight. It was as if he had returned to the city from a cave in a jungle… he was so happy to have escaped the dark and entered the light,” Ilyas said about his son.

For Khalid’s mother, meanwhile, his brief return was also about preparing the food he likes.

“She cooked non-vegetarian food for him every day… he’s very fond of mutton. His friends got burgers, pizzas and cakes for him. He also likes cold drinks a lot,” Ilyas said, adjusting his spectacles.

But the activist’s father had his own red lines, too. Ilyas is a critic of the US and Israel, and avoids Pepsi and Coca-Cola. The fridge was, therefore, full of Campa Cola. “Khalid has never been fussy about food. He can survive even on dal and roti… but you know how it is in jail… you get watery dal… I wish he was allowed home cooked food inside,” Ilyas said.

Apart from food, the family was also happy that Khalid could get “sound sleep for six hours every day”. “In jail, he would sleep on the floor with cold winds entering his cell,” said Ilyas.

According to the interim bail conditions, Khalid could only meet family members, relatives and friends, and had to remain at home “or at places where the ceremonies of marriage as mentioned by him will take place”. He was also barred from using social media.

However, Ilyas said “these restrictions were moderate compared to those imposed when he was last granted interim bail two years ago”. “He was just confined to the house. He couldn’t sleep without medication,” the father recalled.

Khalid’s time in Tihar has also been taxing in other ways, said Ilyas. “There is a conception among others in jail that my son is a terrorist. It is not easy to convince them otherwise… But whenever any prisoner has court-related queries or difficulties comprehending English, they seek his help. Some of the money we send to Khalid, he donates to the poorer prisoners,” said Ilyas.

Ilyas and his wife prefer video-calls — three every week — than travelling to Tihar to see their son. Seeing his hazy image behind the glass after hours of travelling affects them emotionally, said Ilyas. “Tihar has so many restrictions, too,” he said.

Regarding the family wedding, Ilyas said updates about guests were conveyed to Khalid over video call. “Khalid’s sisters came from the UAE and London to meet him… many relatives travelled from Mumbai and Nagpur just to see him,” Ilyas said.

The family, meanwhile, had a message for all those well-wishers and supporters who wanted to meet him, according to Ilyas: “Leave Umar for his family.” He added, “Other than his relatives, only his close friends, including those from JNU, got the opportunity to spend the week with him. His friends have been very supportive.”

Banojyotsna, too, referred to those moments. “Every day, a few friends would gather, and we would just laugh. We tried to keep the mood light,” she said.

As he left home Friday evening, Ilyas said all Khalid took with him was a small bag with clothes, especially kurtas and pyjamas. “He donates so many of his clothes,” he said.

Finally, turning to the case against Khalid, Ilyas knows what his son is up against. The dates when Khalid’s bail was argued are on his fingertips and the reasons for adjournment are etched in memory. He also remembers arguments of the defence and the prosecution. But what he recalls most clearly are the allegations against his son, which he calls “absurd”.

“There are hundreds of witnesses… The trial might even take 10 years. Let’s say an acquittal takes place. The people who spent years in jail would have already lost their social identity and real lives by then,” he said.

According to Banojyotsna, interim bail “is a difficult thing”. “A week gets over in two days and the pain that follows feels like it lasts forever,” she said.