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New York City’s Indian-origin Muslim mayor Zohran Mamdani sent a handwritten letter to jailed activist Umar Khalid. In the note, Mamdani said he often thinks about Khalid’s words on not allowing bitterness to take over one’s life.
According to an X post shared by Khalid's partner Banojyotsna Lahiri, the note said, "Dear Umar, I think of your words on bitterness often, and the importance of not letting it consume oneself. It was a pleasure to meet your parents. We are all thinking of you."
Zohran Mamdani writes to Umar Khalid. December 2025. #FreeUmarKhalid#FreeAllPoliticalPrisoners pic.twitter.com/QTYe06cRp5
— banojyotsna ... (@banojyotsna) January 1, 2026
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At an event in New York in 2023, Mamdani had read out a letter written by Khalid, the Hindustan Times reported. He said the letter showed Khalid’s effort not to become bitter about his situation and to look at it from a wider perspective.
Meeting Mamdani in the US
According to a Hindustan Times report, Khalid’s parents visited the US before their youngest daughter’s wedding to meet their elder daughter living there. During the visit, they met Mamdani and spent time with him. It was after this meeting that Mamdani wrote the letter to Khalid.
Umar Khalid has been in jail since 2020 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in connection with the Delhi riots case. He was granted interim bail in December to attend his sister’s wedding.
During his brief period on interim bail, Khalid stayed at home as he was not allowed to step out, the report said. He spent time with family, ate home-cooked food prepared by his mother, and was with his nieces and nephews before returning to jail, Lahiri told Hindustan Times.
ALSO READ | Zohran Mamdani sworn in as New York City's youngest & first Muslim mayor
2020 Delhi riots case
The northeast Delhi riots took place in February 2020 during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. The violence left 53 people dead and hundreds injured. Delhi Police allege that Khalid and others were part of a larger conspiracy and have charged them under several sections of the IPC and the UAPA.
Khalid was arrested in September 2020. His bail plea was rejected by a trial court in March 2022, and the Delhi High Court dismissed his appeal in October 2022.
Mamdani sworn in as NYC mayor
Mamdani, a democratic socialist, was sworn in as New York City mayor on January 1. The 34-year-old took the oath from New York Attorney General Letitia James in the presence of close family members.
With his hand placed on the Quran, he became the first Muslim mayor of the city and described the moment as the honour of a lifetime.
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