New York: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has written a note for activist Umar Khalid, recalling his words on “bitterness” and the importance of not letting it consume one’s self.
The note was posted on X by Khalid’s partner Banojyotsna Lahiri. “When prisons try to isolate, words travel. Zohran Mamdani writes to Umar Khalid,” the caption accompanying the note 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 handwritten note signed by Mamdani said.
Khalid and few others have been booked under the stringent anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA) and provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for allegedly being the “masterminds” of the February 2020 Delhi riots, which left 53 people dead and more than 700 injured.
Meanwhile, a group of US lawmakers has written to Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Kwatra urging that Khalid be granted bail and a “fair, timely trial in accordance with international law.”
US Representatives Jim McGovern and Jamie Raskin are among eight lawmakers who wrote to Kwatra expressing “our continued concern regarding the prolonged pre-trial detention of individuals charged in connection with the February 2020 violence in Delhi,” including Khalid.
“The US and India share a long standing strategic partnership that has historically been rooted in democratic values, constitutional governance and strong people-to-people ties,” the letter said adding that as the world’s largest democracies, both nations have an interest in protecting and upholding freedom, the rule of law, human rights and pluralism.
“It is in this spirit” that the lawmakers said they are raising their concerns regarding Khalid’s detention.
The lawmakers claimed that human rights organisations, legal experts and global media have raised questions about the fairness of the investigation and legal process related to Khalid’s detention.
He “has been detained without bail for five years for charges levied under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, which independent human rights experts have warned may contravene international standards of equality before the law, due process and proportionality.”
The US Representatives further added that they understand that these matters are presently under consideration before the Supreme Court of India and welcomed the news that Khalid received temporary bail to attend his sister’s wedding.
They urged that Khalid be granted bail and released for the duration of the court’s proceedings. “With respect for India’s democratic institutions and its role as a key partner of the US, we request that your Government share the steps being taken to ensure that the judicial proceedings against Khalid and those of his co-accused who remain in detention comport with international standards,” the lawmakers said.
Mamdani’s note: India won’t tolerate any interference in its internal matter, says BJP
The BJP on Friday accused New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani of “interfering” in India’s internal matter by writing a note on jailed activist Umar Khalid and asserted that India will not tolerate any such effort.
Questioning Mamdani’s locus standi of commenting on India’s internal matters, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia also cautioned the New York City Mayor against such efforts, asserting, “If India’s sovereignty is challenged, 140-crore Indians will stand united under the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.”
People of India have “complete faith” in the country’s judiciary, he added.
This came after Mamdani wrote a note for Khalid, recalling his words on “bitterness” and the importance of not letting it consume one’s self.
The note was posted on X by Khalid’s partner Banojyotsna Lahiri. “When prisons try to isolate, words travel. Zohran Mamdani writes to Umar Khalid,” the caption accompanying the note 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 handwritten note signed by Mamdani said.
Reacting sharply, Bhatia charged, “If anybody comes out in support of any accused and interferes in India’s internal matters, the country will not tolerate it.”
“Who is this outsider to raise questions on our democracy and judiciary, and that too coming in support of a person who wants to break India? This is not fair,” the BJP spokesperson said at a press conference at the party headquarters here, when asked about Mamdani’s note.
Khalid and a few others have been booked under the stringent anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, (UAPA) 1967, and provisions of the IPC for allegedly being the “masterminds” of the February 2020 Delhi riots, which left 53 people dead and more than 700 injured.
Getting bail under the UAPA is difficult for those booked under this law as the onus to show that the case is false lies on the accused.
