'We're Thinking Of You': NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Writes To Umar Khalid, Sparks Row

Last Updated:January 02, 2026, 12:34 IST

Zohran Mamdani has written a letter to Umar Khalid, expressing solidarity and recalling Khalid’s reflections on resisting bitterness during prolonged incarceration.

File photos of Zohran Mamdani/Umar Khalid (AP/PTI)

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has written a letter to jailed activist and former JNU student Umar Khalid, expressing solidarity and recalling Khalid’s reflections on resisting bitterness during prolonged incarceration. His letter, however, drew criticism from the Vishva Hindu Parishad.

A photograph of the note by Mamdani was shared on social media platform X on Thursday by Khalid’s friend, Banojyotsna Lahiri, the same day Mamdani was ceremonially sworn in as mayor.

In the brief handwritten message addressed to Khalid, Mamdani wrote, “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 note was handed over to Khalid’s parents when Mamdani met them during their visit to the United States in December 2025, according to multiple media reports.

Lahiri told Hindustan Times that Khalid’s parents, Sahiba Khanam and Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, had travelled to the US ahead of the wedding of their youngest daughter to meet another daughter who resides there and was unable to travel to India.

“They met Mamdani and a few others in the US and spent quite some time with him. That’s when he wrote this note," Lahiri was quoted as saying.

She also spoke about Khalid’s brief period at home during his recent interim bail, granted by a Delhi court to attend his sister’s wedding.

“Umar spent all his time at home as his bail conditions did not allow him to step out. But it went by so fast, as it had the two times earlier when he was out on bail. He had home-cooked food, which his mother often fed him, and he spent a lot of time with his nieces and nephews," Lahiri said.

Khalid has since returned to jail after the bail period ended.

Later, VHP spokesperson Vinod Bansal termed the development “surprising" and said that he (Mamdani) “has only recently become the mayor of New York, and yet he’s 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? The New York Mayor shouldn’t think like this," he said.

Khalid is an accused in the case related to the alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 Delhi riots and has been in custody for over five years under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), with the trial yet to commence.

His incarceration has also drawn international attention.

In a separate development, eight US Democratic lawmakers recently wrote to India’s Ambassador in Washington, urging Indian authorities to grant Khalid bail and ensure a fair and timely trial.

The letter, led by Representatives Jim McGovern and Jamie Raskin, raised concerns over prolonged pretrial detention and questioned how Khalid’s continued incarceration without trial aligns with international legal standards.

According to the lawmakers, judicial proceedings have not begun even five years after Khalid’s arrest. Besides McGovern and Raskin, the letter was signed by Chris Van Hollen, Peter Welch, Pramila Jayapal, Jan Schakowsky, Rashida Tlaib and Lloyd Doggett.

McGovern later said in a social media post that he had met Khalid’s parents in Washington earlier this month.

A Delhi court granted Khalid interim bail from December 16 to 29, 2025, to attend his sister’s wedding, subject to strict conditions including restrictions on movement, use of social media and contact with witnesses.

He was directed to surrender before prison authorities on December 29.

Khalid has previously been granted similar interim bail in 2022 and 2023.

Meanwhile, Mamdani, a 34-year-old Indian-origin politician, was sworn in as New York City’s mayor on January 1, becoming the first South Asian and Muslim to hold the office.

Mamdani, a Queens state assemblyman, took his oath on a centuries-old Quran and described his election as a symbol of hope and political change.

ALSO READ | BJP Slams Digvijaya Singh For Calling Umar Khalid ‘Innocent’ In Delhi Riots

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