NEW DELHI: The State Department on Friday reacted sharply to the New York mayor’s letter Zohran Mamdani to imprisoned student activist Umar Khalid, saying: “Personal prejudices do not favor those who hold office.” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told Mamdani: “We expect public representatives to respect the independence of the judiciary in other democracies. Expressing personal biases does not become good with office holders. Instead of making such comments, it would be better to focus on the responsibilities entrusted to them.”
Mamdani had said in the note that he often thinks about the bitterness of the former JNU student leader. “Dear Umar, I often think of your words about bitterness and the importance of not letting it consume you. It was a pleasure meeting your parents. We are all thinking of you,” Mamdani said in the handwritten note. The undated note was shared by Khalid’s partner Banojyotsna Lahiri on X last week after Mamdani was sworn in as mayor in a midnight ceremony. Khalid was arrested in September 2020 and booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for allegedly conspiring to incite riots in Delhi. He has always denied these allegations. Khalid was granted bail in December to attend his sister’s wedding. Khalid’s father, Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, previously told TOI that the family met Mamdani in early December last year during a visit to the United States to meet Khalid’s sister. Ilyas said he took the time to congratulate Mamdani on his appointment and ended up meeting him and his wife for about half an hour. “He gave us exclusive time and we discussed many things, including Umar’s detention. We hoped he would fulfill the promises he made to the people of New York,” he said. “We also talked about what happened to my son and the developments in his case. Mamdani said he was following it and had read Umar’s letters from prison,” he added.“This prolonged detention is in itself unjust and has therefore attracted international attention,” Lahiri said.
