‘You will rise, Umar Khalid’: Mahua Moitra backs jailed activist with poem after Supreme Court bail setback

The political sparring over jailed student activist Umar Khalid shows no signs of abating, with voices both in support of and against him continuing to surface. The latest expression of support has come from Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, adding fresh momentum to the ongoing debate.

TMC MP has penned a short poem, titled “You will rise, Umar Khalid,” in support of Umar Khalid. Moitra shared the poem in a post on the social media platform X today morning.

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“You Will Rise, Umar Khalid. You may write me (Umar Khalid) down in history with your bitter, twisted lies, you may trod me in the very dirt, but still, like dust, I’ll rise… You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I’ll rise,” she said.

You Will Rise @UmarKhalidJNU

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise…
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still,…

— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) January 7, 2026

Her post may further intensify the already charged discourse surrounding Khalid’s case.

The Supreme Court rejected Umar Khalid’s bail plea on Monday in an alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 north-east Delhi riots. As per the court order, Umar can apply for bail again in the trial court once the examination of all prosecution witnesses in the matter is completed. However, he will be eligible to apply for bail in case the prosecution fails to examine all witnesses in a year.

Notably, on 05 January, a group of JNU students allegedly raised controversial slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah inside the university campus after the apex court denied bail to Umar Khalid. The sloganeering was reported during a gathering organised to condemn the violence which occurred on the campus on January 5, 2020.

Also read: ‘Intellectual terrorists more dangerous’: Delhi Police oppose bail pleas of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and others