न्यूयॉर्क के मेयर ने उमर खालिद के नाम लेटर लिखा: ममदानी बोले- तुम्हारे बारे मैं सोचता हूं; दो साल पहले खालिद की चिठ्ठी पढ़ी थी

New York City’s newly elected Mayor Zohran Mamdani has sent a hand-written letter to student activist Omar Khalid, who is jailed due to the Delhi riots.

This letter has come to light after Mamdani took oath as mayor on January 1, 2026. In the letter, Mamdani expressed solidarity and support for Omar.

In the letter, Mamdani wrote, “Dear Omar, I often remember your words in which you told not to let bitterness dominate you. It was a pleasure to meet your parents. We are all thinking about you.”

This note was written during Khalid’s parents’ visit to America in December 2025. Khalid’s partner Banojyotsna Lahiri shared it on social media.

Omar’s parents had met Mamdani in America

Khalid’s parents had gone to America at that time. Actually, his youngest daughter was about to get married and his elder daughter living there was not able to attend the wedding, so he went to meet her.

Khalid’s partner Banojyotsna Lahiri said Omar’s parents spent a lot of time with Mamdani in the US and discussed Omar’s prison conditions.

With this letter coming out, Mamdani’s support for Omar Khalid has also come into discussion.

Omar Khalid with his parents in December 2024, when he was released on interim bail for the last time.

Mamdani read Khalid’s letter in 2023

Zoharan Mamdani read out excerpts from Khalid’s letter written from jail during an event in New York in June 2023.

At that time he had said that Khalid has been detained for a long period without trial, which is a disregard for the judicial process.

Khalid was arrested in September 2020. Several charges have been leveled against him under the Indian Penal Code and UAPA.

Mamdani’s 2 year old video goes viral

The video of Mamdani reading Omar Khalid’s diary is from the ‘Howdy Democracy’ event held in 2023.

Mamdani says from the stage, “I am going to read a letter written by Omar Khalid. He is a former JNU student and activist, who had campaigned against mob violence and hatred. He has been in jail for more than 1000 days so far. A case is going on against him under the UAPA Act, but the trial has not started yet. His bail has been rejected several times and he has also been fatally attacked once.”