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Bhopal: Senior Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh has sparked a major political storm by declaring Umar Khalid, the former JNU PhD scholar jailed in the 2020 Delhi riots case, “completely innocent” and a victim of “grave injustice”. In a controversial Facebook post that has gone viral, Singh demanded Khalid’s immediate release, describing him as a brilliant academic rather than a “traitor”. He wrote the post while sharing an article titled “Ek Itihaskar Ki Bat’ published about research in which Khalid was engaged. The Congress leader reposted the article. Another post, ending with “Jai Siya Ram”, has intensified debates on judicial fairness, minority rights, and alleged political vendettas. With this post, the former chief minister has also shared some news for reference that those who recently wrote “I Love Mohammad’ on a temple wall in Aligarh have been apprehended, and all of them are Hindus. Singh’s post reads: “Umar Khalid is innocent and is facing a grave injustice. He is a PhD scholar and not a traitor by any standards. He should be released immediately.” In another post he has written, “The BJP and RSS hatch this conspiracy to falsely implicate Muslims. Jai Siya Ram.” The statement comes amid ongoing Supreme Court hearings on Khalid’s bail plea, where he has been incarcerated for over five years under the stringent UAPA. Khalid, accused in the larger conspiracy behind the north-east Delhi riots that claimed 53 lives, has seen multiple bail rejections. His lawyers argue prolonged detention violates the principle that “bail is the rule, jail the exception”, especially for undertrials. The BJP swiftly condemned Singh, labelling his defence as “anti-national” and proof of Congress’ sympathy for “riot masterminds”. The Congress veteran, a vocal critic of the RSS, has previously compared its targeting of Muslims to Hitler’s persecution of Jews, calling India an “open-air prison” for minorities under draconian laws like UAPA. Supporters hail his post as a bold stand against “institutional bias”, where bail is routinely denied to Muslim accused while others walk free. Critics, however, see it as vote-bank politics, especially with Singh’s history of defending activists in Bhima Koregaon and anti-CAA cases. With SC hearings resuming, Singh’s words could influence public discourse on liberty versus security. IANS |
