New Delhi: August 11 marked Umar Khalid’s 39th birthday, which is taking place nearly six years into his incarceration. On the same day, speakers including renowned academics, writers, and journalists gathered at the Press Club of India in New Delhi to discuss his book, Fractured Communities: Adivasi Histories and the Politics of Power, originally submitted by Khalid as his PhD thesis to Jawaharlal Nehru University’s Centre for Historical Studies in 2018. His work is based on his research into the history of Adivasi communities in Singhbhum, Jharkhand. 

Khalid was arrested in September 2020 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with the controversial Delhi riots’ alleged larger conspiracy case, and has remained in custody since. His continued and unjustifiable incarceration formed part of the broader context of the discussion, as speakers reflected on his scholarship, the book’s historical arguments, and the circumstances surrounding its publication. 

The book discussion was moderated by journalist and author Neha Dixit. She opened the discussion by reading out a message by Khalid, containing lines by Urdu poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz: “Nisaar main teri galiyon ke ae watan, ki jahan; chali hai rasm ki koi na sar utha ke chale (in your lanes, homeland, I would lay down my life, where the custom now is that no one walks with their head held high).” Khalid ended his message to Dixit and the audience with another line: “No one is free until everyone is free.”

A day before the Press Club discussion took place, a discussion on the same book was to have taken place at JNU. The university, however, withdrew permission to host the discussion in an auditorium. A large number of students gathered outside JNU’s School of Social Sciences-II building for a discussion on the book on the day nonetheless.

Sabiha Khanum: Understanding Umar through the book

Speaking at the Press Club discussion, Sabiha Khanum, Khalid’s mother, said the book offered an opportunity for people to understand her son beyond the........

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