Chicago – September 30, 2025
Gulfisha Fatima, a 31-year-old MBA graduate from Ghaziabad, has spent more than four and a half years in jail without her case reaching trial. Arrested by Delhi Police on April 9, 2020, in connection with the Delhi riots, she remains incarcerated under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), a stringent anti-terror law.
Fatima, who also holds postgraduate degrees in Urdu from Delhi University’s Kirorimal College, was an active participant in protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) in 2019–2020. Like many young activists, she had sought academic freedom from her family, aspiring to pursue a PhD and become a professor. Instead, she now faces charges of inciting communal violence and conspiracy against the state, allegations she and her supporters firmly deny.
Her imprisonment follows the widespread crackdown on CAA protestors following the riots in Delhi, which left at least 53 people dead, homes looted, and religious structures damaged. Rights groups and legal activists question the prolonged delays in her hearings, with court dates repeatedly being postponed.
From behind bars, Fatima’s letters highlight both resilience and despair, echoing the struggles of those detained for dissent. Her case remains emblematic of the growing concerns over civil liberties in India.
