Mamdani’s letter to jailed student leader Umar Khalid riles BJP
• Party warns NYC mayor against ‘interfering’ in New Delhi’s internal affairs
• Stays silent on US lawmakers’ letter pushing for bail, fair trial for incarcerated activist
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday accused New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani of “interfering” in India’s internal affairs by writing a note to jailed student leader Umar Khalid, asserting that New Delhi will not tolerate any such effort.
However, the BJP remained mum on a The Hindu report, which stated that eight US lawmakers have written to Indian Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra, urging India to grant bail and a free and fair trial to Mr Khalid “in accordance with international law”.
Questioning Mr Mamdani’s locus standi to comment on India’s internal matters, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia cautioned the New York City mayor against such efforts.
“If India’s sovereignty is challenged, 140 crore Indians will stand united under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership,” he asserted.
Mr Bhatia added that the people of India had “complete faith” in the country’s judiciary.
‘Words on bitterness’
The reaction came after Mr Mamdani wrote a note to Mr Khalid, recalling his words on “bitterness” and the importance of not letting it consume oneself.
The note was posted on X by Mr Khalid’s partner, Banojyotsna Lahiri.
“When prisons try to isolate, words travel. Zohran Mamdani writes to Umar Khalid,” the caption accompanying the note stated.
“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 handwritten note, signed by Mr Mamdani, read.
Reacting sharply, Mr Bhatia said: “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, coming in support of a person who wants to break India? This is not fair,” The Hindu quoted him as saying at a press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi.
He was apparently asked to comment on Mr Mamdani’s note.
Mr Khalid and a few others have been booked under the draconian anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967, and provisions of the Indian Penal Code, for allegedly being “masterminds” of the February 2020 northeast Delhi riots, which left 53 people dead and more than 700 injured.
Securing bail under the UAPA is difficult for those booked under this law as the burden to show that the case is false lies on them.
US lawmakers
In their letter dated Dec 30, according to The Hindu, the US lawmakers pledged support to the jailed student activist and asked the Indian government to “share the steps being taken to ensure that the judicial proceedings against Umar Khalid and those of his co-accused who remain in detention comport with international standards”.
The letter by the US lawmakers was shared by Democratic Congressman Jim McGovern, who is also the co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. The others who had signed on it include Democrat Jamie Raskin, Indian-origin Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, US Representatives Jan Schakowsky, Lloyd Dogget, Rashida Talib, and Senators Chris Van Hollen, and Peter Welch.
As per the letter, Mr McGovern and others had met Umar Khalid’s parents earlier in December. “Representative Raskin and I are leading our colleagues to urge that he be granted bail and a fair, timely trial in accordance with international law,” he said, sharing the signed letter in a post on X.
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 Mr Khalid’s detention.
Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2026
