The external affairs ministry on Friday frowned upon New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani’s letter of support to jailed rights activist Umar Khalid, stating that expressing personal prejudices does not behove someone holding an office. Mamdani’s letter to Khalid was made public by the activist’s family on January 1, the day the 34-year-old son of Indian-origin filmmaker Mira Nair assumed office in the US. At the weekly media conference, ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was asked to specifically comment on Mamdani’s letter. In his handwritten letter on a ruled sheet of paper, Mamdani wrote: “Umar, I think of your words on bitterness often, and the importance of not letting it consume one’s self. Ilyas said that he and his wife had met Mamdani on December 9 during a personal visit to the US.

Source: The Telegraph January 10, 2026 00:58 UTC