Zohran Mamdani, the first Muslim and Indian-origin Mayor of New York, has sent a handwritten note to jailed activist Umar Khalid.
What the note says
In the note, Mamdani said, "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 letter was handed over to Khalid's parents by Zohran Mamdani when they met him during their trip to the US in December last year.
The handwritten note was shared on X by Umar Khalid's partner, Bunojyotsana Lahiri, with the caption, "Zohran Mamdani writes to Umar Khalid. December 2025."
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According to Hindustan Times, Lahiri said, "Umar’s parents — Sahiba Khanam and Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas — had visited the US just before the wedding of their youngest daughter to meet one of their elder daughters who lives there since she was not going to be able to attend. They met Mamdani and a few others in the US and spent quite some time with him. That’s when he wrote this note."
Mamdani's swearing-in
Just after midnight on Thursday (January 1), Zohran Mamdani took oath of office as New York Mayor at a decommissioned subway station in Manhattan. Placing his hand on a Quran as he took the pledge, Mamdani said that the old subway station where the ceremony took place was a 'testament to the importance of public transit to the vitality, the health and the legacy of the city".
In jail since 2020
Umar Khalid has been in jail since 2020 under sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). He was, however, given two-week interim bail to attend his sister's wedding in December, 2025.
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According to Lahiri, Umar spent the entire time sitting at home due to his "bail conditions".
"But it went by so fast as it did the two times earlier he was out on bail. He had home-cooked food which his mother often fed him and he spent a lot of time with his nieces and nephews," Lahiri added.
