Zohran Mamdani’s 2023 speech reading Umar Khalid’s letter resurfaces online
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New York: A video of Zohran Mamdani, the newly elected Mayor of New York City, reading a letter written by jailed Indian activist Umar Khalid during a 2023 event has resurfaced online, drawing renewed attention amid his recent political rise.
The incident took place at the ‘Howdy, Democracy?!’ event in New York, held ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the White House in June 2023. The programme focused on democracy and civil liberties in India.
Introducing the letter, Mamdani told the audience, “I’m going to be reading a letter from Umar Khalid, who is a scholar and a former student activist at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi… who organised a campaign against lynching and hate. He has been in jail for more than 1,000 days under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and has yet to face trial, though his bail application has been repeatedly denied. He has also faced an assassination attempt.”
The letter, from Khalid’s prison diary, was read aloud as part of a session highlighting concerns about dissent and human rights in India.
Mamdani, who is of Gujarati origin, has previously drawn criticism for his political comments on India. Earlier this year, he faced backlash for comparing Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a separate public event.
When asked about the possibility of sharing a platform with Modi during the Indian leader’s Madison Square Garden event, Mamdani had referenced the 2002 Gujarat riots, saying such an appearance would not align with his stance on human rights.
Umar Khalid, meanwhile, remains in judicial custody. Arrested in September 2020 for allegedly making inflammatory speeches and being part of a conspiracy linked to the 2020 Delhi riots, he has spent over four years in prison without trial. His bail plea, rejected by both the trial court and the Delhi High Court, was listed for hearing before the Supreme Court on Thursday.
A video from 2023 from a gathering in New York ahead of the PM Modi's visit to the US in 2023 where Zohran Mamdani reads Umar Khalid's Notes from Jail. pic.twitter.com/yiGQCCgiyw
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Rajasthan: Nursing student found dead with slit throat in Khairthal-Tijara district; accused held
Jaipur (PTI): A 20-year-old nursing student was found murdered with her throat slit in a rented room in Khairthal-Tijara district of Rajasthan, police said on Saturday.
The incident took place in a residential building in front of Mundawar police station on Friday afternoon, they said.
The accused, Upendra Kumar (21) from Haryana's Mahendergarh, was arrested while trying to flee the spot.
The father of the deceased alleged that his daughter was kidnapped, raped and then killed.
The incident sparked outrage among local residents, who blocked the main road for about 30 minutes before police dispersed them.
Police said the accused lived in the same rented premises.
Mundwar Station House Officer Ramniwas Meena said Upendra Kumar has been arrested based on complaint filed by the deceased woman's father.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully termed the murder proof that women remain highly unsafe in Rajasthan and accused the BJP government of turning a blind eye to such crimes.
"It is being proved that women are extremely unsafe in Rajasthan. A nursing student was abducted, raped and brutally murdered by slitting her throat in Mundawar. People are outraged but the BJP government has shut its eyes and ears to everything," he said.
