Gulfisha Fatima, a 31-year-old Delhi University graduate, has spent over four years and nine months in prison, accused of orchestrating the February 2020 Delhi riots.
Arrested in March 2020 under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Gulfisha was just 26 at the time. She had recently completed her MBA and dreamed of pursuing a PhD.
Gulfisha has been denied both trial and bail in the controversial FIR 59/20 conspiracy case, which has drawn widespread criticism from human rights groups and legal experts. For her family, the wait for Gul’s return feels endless, though they continue to cling to the hope that justice will eventually prevail. Every month Gulfisha used to send her family letters, poems, and paintings from the jail. Recently, she has stopped sending them.
The riots she is accused of conspiring are among the worst instances of communal violence that Delhi has witnessed in recent years. In February 2020, 53 people were killed, and hundreds of homes and shops – most belonging to Muslims – were destroyed. In the aftermath, several anti-CAA activists were arrested and accused of instigating the violence.
UN experts have condemned these arrests, describing them as part of a broader crackdown “clearly designed to send a chilling message that criticism of government policies will not be tolerated.”
