New Delhi, Jan 9 (UNI) The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday slammed New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani for his letter to jailed Indian student activist Umar Khalid, saying it would be better if he focuses instead on his responsibilities as Mayor.
The MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, in his first media briefing of the new year, asked to comment on Mamdani’s letter to Umar Khalid, said:
“We expect public representatives to be respectful of the independence of judiciary in other democracies. Expressing personal prejudices do not behove those in office. Instead of such comments, it would be better to focus on the responsibilities entrusted to them.”
Mamdani, 34, is the first Muslim and first Indian-origin Mayor of New York, America’s largest city. His mother is the well-known filmmaker Mira Nair, and his father is an academic, Mahmood Mamdani, of Ugandan-Indian Gujarati background.
Mamdani, who has been critical of Prime Minister Modi, had written a personal letter to former JNU student and activist Umar Khalid, who is currently lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) since 2020.
In the letter, Mamdani wrote, “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.”
Mamdani had met Umar Khalid’s parents, Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas and Sahiba Khanam, in New York in December 2025 during their visit to the U.S, according to reports.
Mamdani’s handwritten letter to Umar Khalid coincided with eight US Democratic lawmakers writing to Indian Ambassador Vinay Kwatra on December 30, 2025, urging that Khalid be granted bail and a “fair, timely trial in accordance with international law.”
The letter was led by Congressman Jim McGovern, co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, and Representative Jamie Raskin. The other signatories included Senators Chris Van Hollen and Peter Welch, and Representatives Pramila Jayapal, Rashida Tlaib, Jan Schakowsky, and Lloyd Doggett.
