skip to contentAdvertisementBy: Express Web Desk January 2, 2026 08:53 AM IST First published on: Jan 2, 2026 at 08:46 AM IST ShareWhatsapptwitterFacebookNew York City mayor Zohran Mamdani has sent a handwritten note to jailed activist Umar Khalid. (Photo: X/ @banojyotsna)New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani has sent a handwritten note to jailed activist Umar Khalid. The note was given to Khalid’s parents during their visit to the United States in December 2025.In the message addressed to Khalid, Mamdani wrote: “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.”Zohran Mamdani writes to Umar Khalid.December 2025. #FreeUmarKhalid#FreeAllPoliticalPrisoners pic.twitter.com/QTYe06cRp5— banojyotsna … (@banojyotsna) January 1, 2026A photograph of the note was shared on X on Thursday by Khalid’s partner, Bunojyotsana Lahiri, the day Mamdani was sworn in as mayor.Zohran Mamdani has been sworn-in as the 112th Mayor of New York City. pic.twitter.com/Z5WY5WObwp— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) January 1, 2026Lahiri said Khalid’s parents Sahiba Khanam and Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas were in the US to visit their daughter ahead of a family wedding. “They met Mamdani and a few others in the US and spent quite some time with him. That’s when he wrote this note,” she said.Khalid has been in jail since 2020 under sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. He was granted interim bail in December to attend his sister’s wedding.Lahiri said he stayed at home during the bail period because of the court conditions and spent time with family members before returning to jail.In 2023, at an event in New York, Mamdani had earlier read out parts of a letter written by Khalid in which he reflected on not becoming “bitter” about his situation.Most ReadStory continues below this adMeanwhile, US Congressman James P McGovern has written to India’s ambassador to the United States, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, expressing concern about the length of pre-trial detention of people charged in cases linked to the 2020 Delhi riots.In his letter, McGovern referred to Khalid and said that human rights groups and legal experts had questioned the investigation and legal process. He wrote that independent inquiries by rights organisations “did not find evidence” linking Khalid to terrorist activity, and cited India’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights regarding timely trials and the presumption of innocence.(With inputs from agencies)AdvertisementAdvertisementLoading Taboola...