Umar Khalid’s Partner Shares Letter From NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani

Zohran Kwame Mamdani, the newly elected mayor of New York City, has written a personal letter to Umar Khalid, the Indian student activist who has been imprisoned since September 2020 in connection with the February 2020 Delhi riots. Khalid's partner, Banojyotsna Lahiri, shared the undated letter on X (formerly Twitter) on January 1, 2026, shortly after Mamdani's inauguration as the city's first Muslim and South Asian-origin mayor. The letter reflects a moment of quiet solidarity amid Mamdani's high-profile swearing-in ceremony.

In the brief note, Mamdani wrote, "Dear Umar, 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." The message refers to Khalid's reflections on resilience and avoiding bitterness during his prolonged incarceration under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Mamdani's meeting with Khalid's parents, Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas and his wife, took place in early December 2025 during their visit to the United States to see their daughter.

Khalid, a former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student leader, was granted provisional bail by the Karkardooma Court in Delhi to attend his sister Ayesha Fatima Syeda's wedding on December 27, 2025, but he surrendered back to Tihar Jail on December 29. His detention has drawn significant attention both in India and internationally, with supporters describing him as a political prisoner.

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Mamdani's letter comes on the same day he was sworn in as mayor by radical Democratic Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders on the steps of City Hall. During the ceremony, Sanders declared Mamdani's victory a triumph over "the Democratic establishment, the Republican establishment, the president of the United States, and some enormously wealthy oligarchs." In his inaugural address, Mamdani pledged to govern "expansively and audaciously" as a democratic socialist, promising policies such as free buses, free childcare from six months, government-run shops, and a freeze on rent increases in regulated housing.

The letter to Khalid has been widely shared on social media, with many praising Mamdani for using his new platform to highlight the case of political prisoners. It underscores Mamdani's progressive values and his willingness to speak on international human rights issues, even as he assumes leadership of America's largest city. As Mamdani begins his term, the message serves as a reminder of the global reach of activism and the personal connections that persist across borders.

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