We are all thinking of you: Zohran Mamdani writes to Umar Khalid

Umar Khalid, a student activist arrested over five years ago in relation to the 2020 Delhi riots, has received support from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Indian-origin politician Zohran Mamdani wrote a letter to Khalid stating, “We are all thinking of you.” This letter was undated and posted on X by Khalid’s partner, Banojyotsna Lahiri, at the same time Mamdani was being sworn in as mayor during a midnight ceremony.

Earlier on Thursday, Mamdani was sworn-in as New York City Mayor by Senator Bernie Sanders, just hours after he took the oath of office in a private ceremony held at the turn of the new year in an old subway station here. The 34-year-old Queens state assemblyman became the first South Asian and Muslim elected to the helm of the largest city in the US. He was sworn in at the old City Hall subway station by New York Attorney General Letitia James at a private ceremony attended only by his family and close advisers, held around the stroke of midnight as the city ushered in the new year.

Khalid’s father has provided further explanation regarding the letter’s origin. “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,” reads the short handwritten note.