- Umar Khalid describes prison life as hardest at sunset, echoing Dostoevsky's experience of captivity's dread.
- He is a jailed Muslim leftwing activist known for anti-government protests and criticism of BJP's Hindu nationalist agenda, accused of terrorism in Delhi riots.
- Khalid's arrest and prolonged detention without trial are seen as part of a crackdown on dissent under Modi's government.
- He highlights the normalization of hate speech and India becoming a 'post-truth society', while feeling dehumanized by propaganda.
- Khalid's activism began at JNU, leading to sedition charges and his role in 2019 citizenship law protests, where he advocated non-violent resistance.
- Despite being 1,000 miles away, he was accused of masterminding the 2020 Delhi riots, with police facing allegations of fabricated evidence.
- Bail has been repeatedly denied, and he criticizes opposition silence on political prisoners, finding solace in quotes like Bhagat Singh's on freedom.