“We are all thinking of you,” New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani writes to Umar Khalid
New Delhi/New York: New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has written a personal letter to former Jawaharlal Nehru University student and activist Umar Khalid, who is currently lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The development was first reported by The Telegraph India.
Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist, recently made history by becoming the first Muslim and Indian-origin mayor of New York City. A handwritten note attributed to him surfaced on social media platform X, where he reflected on an earlier interaction with Khalid and conveyed support during his incarceration.
“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 read, according to the report. The Telegraph India said it could not independently verify the authenticity of the letter.
Banojyotsna Lahiri, a close friend of Khalid who shared the letter online, told The Telegraph India that Khalid’s parents had visited the United States in December and met several people during their trip, including Mamdani.
Umar Khalid, a former scholar at Jawaharlal Nehru University, was arrested in September 2020 in connection with an alleged conspiracy linked to the 2020 Delhi riots. While the Delhi High Court has discharged him in one FIR, he continues to remain in custody in another case under the UAPA. His bail pleas have been rejected multiple times over the past five years, and in December 2025, the Supreme Court reserved its judgment on his bail application.
This is not the first time Mamdani has publicly expressed support for Khalid. In June 2023, at a ‘Howdy, Democracy?!’ event in New York held ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States, Mamdani read excerpts from Khalid’s prison writings. At the time, Mamdani, then a member of the New York State Assembly, described Khalid as a scholar and activist who had campaigned against lynching and hate crimes, and pointed out that he had been incarcerated for over 1,000 days without trial.
Mamdani, who rose to prominence through grassroots political organising, served as a New York State Assembly member before being elected mayor, becoming one of the most prominent Indian-origin politicians in the United States.
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'Unjust' war imposed on Iran should end: Omar
Srinagar (PTI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday said the "unjust" war imposed on the people of Iran should end and peace should prevail, asserting that the US and Israel do not get to decide the leadership of the country.
He said it is for the people of Iran to decide about their leadership.
"At the end of the day, what we want is peace. We want this unjust war that has been imposed on the people of Iran to stop. As I have said time and again, America and Israel don't get to decide who the leader of Iran is. Israel and the US don't get to decide who the Supreme Leader is," Abdullah told reporters here.
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The chief minister said Iran's assassinated Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was not just the leader of Iran, "he was an acknowledged religious leader for the entire Muslim Ummah".
"So, this should not be seen as a conflict with Iran; it has far wider implications," he added.
Abdullah welcomed the Indian ships being allowed to carry fuel through the Strait of Hormuz.
"Anything that allows us to keep our prices low is a good thing, whether that means buying oil from Russia or being able to transport our gas and fuel supplies through the strait, which otherwise is closed for everybody else. It is good for us," he said.
However, he added that while India will benefit from the move, "ultimately we will benefit when peace prevails. And we want this unjust war to end".
