 "NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani has been criticised for his letter to Umar Khalid. Reuters")
Indian-origin Zohran Mamdani, who recently became New York City’s mayor, has once again grabbed attention in the South Asian country. But it is not just his inauguration on Thursday (January 1) that is making headlines in India.
Mamdani’s note to jailed activist Umar Khalid has caused a controversy. The former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student has been in prison for over five years in connection with the February 2020 Delhi riots.
Let’s take a closer look.
NYC Mayor Mamdani’s letter to Khalid
Zohran Mamdani , the new mayor of New York City (NYC), has written a letter to Umar Khalid, expressing solidarity.
The undated letter, shared on X by Khalid’s partner, Banojyotsna Lahiri, read: “Dear Umar, I think of your words on bitterness often and the importance of not letting it consume one’s self. It was a pleasure to meet your parents. We are all thinking of you”.
The handwritten note came to light after Mamdani was sworn in as NYC’s first Muslim and South Asian mayor.
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View AllKhalid’s father, Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, told Times of India (TOI) that his family met Mamdani last December during a visit to the United States to meet the jailed activist’s sister.
Ilyas had sought time from Mamdani to congratulate him on his electoral victory, leading to about half an hour meeting with the US politician and his wife, Rama Duwaji.
“He gave us time exclusively and we discussed many things, including Umar’s incarceration. We hoped he would fulfil the promises he has made for the people of New York,” he said.“We also spoke about what has been happening to my son and the developments around his case. Mamdani said he follows it and has read Umar’s letters from jail,” he added.
According to Lahiri, Khalid’s parents, Sahiba Khanam and Ilyas, had travelled to the US to visit their daughter ahead of a family wedding. “They met Mamdani and a few others in the US and spent quite some time with him. That’s when he wrote this note,” she was quoted as saying by Indian Express.
At an event in New York in 2023, Mamdani had read out parts of a letter written by Khalid about not becoming “bitter” about his situation.
US lawmakers call for Khalid’s release
A group of American lawmakers has written to the Indian Ambassador to the US, Vinay Kwatra, calling for bail for Khalid and a “fair, timely trial in accordance with international law.”
These eight US lawmakers expressed “our continued concern regarding the prolonged pre-trial detention of individuals charged in connection with the February 2020 violence in Delhi,” including Khalid.
“The US and India share a long standing strategic partnership that has historically been rooted in democratic values, constitutional governance and strong people-to-people ties,” the letter said.
The letter further read that as the world’s largest democracies, both nations have an interest in protecting and upholding freedom, the rule of law, human rights and pluralism. “It is in this spirit” that the lawmakers said they were raising their concerns in connection with Khalid’s detention.
He [Khalid] “has been detained without bail for five years for charges levied under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, which independent human rights experts have warned may contravene international standards of equality before the law, due process and proportionality,” the letter said.
The American lawmakers said that they understand that the matter is under consideration before India’s Supreme Court and welcomed reports of Khalid receiving temporary bail to attend his sister’s wedding.
They urged that Khalid be granted bail and released for the duration of the court’s proceedings. “With respect for India’s democratic institutions and its role as a key partner of the US, we request that your Government share the steps being taken to ensure that the judicial proceedings against Khalid and those of his co-accused who remain in detention comport with international standards,” the lawmakers said.
The letter was signed by US Representatives Jim McGovern, Jamie Raskin, Chris Van Hollen, Peter Welch, Pramila Jayapal, Janice Schakowsky, Rashida Tlaib and Lloyd Doggett.
Khalid’s father told TOI that he had also met Democrat Jamie Raskin. “He raised concerns over Umar’s arrest and extended support,” he said. “I told him the matter is currently before Supreme Court and the family is positive about a favourable outcome.”
Row over US politicians’ remarks on Khalid
BJP leader Pradeep Bhandari has hit out at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi over the US lawmakers’ letter on Khalid.
He pointed to a picture of Janice Schakowsky with Gandhi during his US visit in September 2024 to allege the Congress leader’s “anti-India” stance.
“Every time an anti-India narrative is peddled abroad one name recurs in the background… those who want to weaken India, defame its elected government, and dilute its anti-terror laws converge around him,” Bhandari wrote on X.
Mamdani is also facing flak in India over his letter to Khalid from some quarters.
Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) spokesperson Vinod Bansal told ANI that it was “suprising” that the 34-year-old was “lecturing” India about fair trials.
“It would be understandable if he spoke out against the racism prevalent in America. Why does he remain silent when our temples are attacked there? Why doesn’t he speak up when Hindus are persecuted in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan?”
“Mamdani claims to be of Indian origin, but his statements clearly reveal his true origins… Did he want to save Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid, kind of people, just because they are Muslims? New York mayor shouldn’t think like this…”
Former diplomat KP Fabian defended Mamdani over his concern for Khalid. “What is happening in Bangladesh, a Hindu being attacked, is internal to Bangladesh. But we are concerned. So, your very assumption that certain things are internal, therefore, foreigners cannot take any interest, is wrong because we are practising differently… Why can’t he (Zohran Mamdani) be interested? Since India is the largest democracy, what happens in India is of interest to the rest of the world,” he told the news agency.
What’s the latest in Khalid’s case?
Umar Khalid was arrested in September 2020 following the February riots in Delhi that left 53 people dead and more than 700 injured.
He and several others were charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for allegedly being the “masterminds” of the deadly violence in North East Delhi. Khalid has remained in jail since.
The Delhi Police claim the riots were part of a larger conspiracy to defame the Narendra Modi government. It also said that the violence was “planned” by those who organised the protests against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act.
Last month, Khalid was granted an interim bail from December 16 to December 29 to attend his sister’s wedding.
Earlier in December, the Supreme Court reserved its verdict on bail pleas of Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and others in the UAPA case.
With inputs from agencies