Tonight I can write the saddest lines,” wrote Pablo Neruda in his poem on love and separation. Banojyotsna Lahiri could have written the saddest lines on the night of September 13, 2020, when Umar Khalid, the student leader and her soulmate, was arrested for allegedly conspiring to foment the Northeast Delhi riots early that year. Most people thought the charge was absurd. That did not matter, for Umar was wrenched away from her—and dumped into Delhi’s Tihar Jail.

Umar applied for bail in a Delhi Sessions Court. In early February, after eight months of arguments, the judgment was reserved. Would Umar get bail? Hope argued with anxiety, as she tossed and turned in the bed. The nights would feel immense. A fortnight ago, Umar was denied his freedom.