‘You will rise’: Mahua Moitra quotes Maya Angelou in poem for Umar Khalid after bail denial

Moitra’s poem quickly drew sharp reactions online, with supporters viewing it as an expression of solidarity with Khalid, while critics cited the Supreme Court’s observations on his alleged role.

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, on Wednesday, shared a poem on microblogging site X in support of jailed activist Umar Khalid, two days after the Supreme Court refused to grant him bail in the larger conspiracy case linked to the 2020 Delhi riots.

In her post titled “You Will Rise, Umar”, Moitra quoted lines from Maya Angelou’s iconic poem Still I Rise, invoking themes of resilience and defiance.

“You may write me down in history / With your bitter, twisted lies…

You may kill me with your hatefulness, / But still, like air, I’ll rise,” the verses read.

You Will Rise @UmarKhalidJNU

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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

Moitra’s post followed a ruling by a bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria, which declined bail to Khalid and co-accused Sharjeel Imam, observing that the prosecution material prima facie indicated their central and formative role in the alleged conspiracy behind the riots.

While acknowledging that both accused have undergone substantial incarceration, the court held that continued detention had not crossed the threshold of constitutional impermissibility.

The ruling was delivered on bail pleas filed by seven accused in the case.

While bail was denied to Khalid and Imam, the court granted bail to Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa-ur-Rehman, Mohammad Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmed, holding that their continued incarceration was not essential for a fair trial, subject to stringent conditions.

The court also clarified that granting bail to the five did not dilute the gravity of the allegations or amount to a finding on guilt, calling it a “calibrated exercise of constitutional discretion”. It directed the trial court to conduct the trial expeditiously, particularly the examination of the prosecution and protected witnesses.

The February 2020 Delhi riots, which broke out during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC), left 53 people dead and over 900 injured. Delhi Police have alleged a premeditated, pan-India conspiracy aimed at destabilising the state, a charge the accused have denied.

Moitra’s poem quickly drew sharp reactions online, with supporters viewing it as an expression of solidarity with Khalid, who has been in custody for over five years, while critics cited the Supreme Court’s observations on his alleged role.