In New Delhi, every week, a family rushes to gather around a laptop, connecting with Umar Khalid, a 37-year-old political activist currently imprisoned. Relatives join from various corners of India and even the United States, awaiting their beloved’s familiar presence. “How are you, Ammi?” he exclaims to his mother, Sabiha Khanam, as the screen comes to life with familial warmth.

Umar Khalid gained prominence in early 2020 during India’s largest protest movement against policies perceived as anti-Muslim. His activism made him a significant figure during the three-month protests, following which, he was arrested later that year. Since then, he has remained in jail without a trial, making him a potent symbol of the intensified suppression of dissent under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This clampdown continues to persist despite Modi’s diminished electoral mandate after recent elections.

To quell opposition voices like Khalid’s, Modi's regime has increasingly relied on stringent state security laws, previously reserved for violent insurgencies. These laws allow for the pretrial detention of activists for extensive periods—sometimes indefinitely. Tragically, some detainees have died awaiting bail. For those who do reach the trial phase, the legal journey often stretches into years of entanglement, further complicating their pursuit of justice.