Zohran Mamdani’s note to Umar Khalid draws criticism from MEA

On Friday, January 9, 2026, India appeared to disapprove of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani writing a note to jailed activist Umar Khalid saying public representatives should respect the independence of the judiciary in other democracies.

Mr Mamdani, who is of Indian origin, handed Mr Khalid a handwritten note when the activist’s parents met him in the US last month.

In the note, Mr. Mamdani expressed his solidarity with Mr. Khalid.

“We expect public representatives to respect the independence of the judiciary in other democracies,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing.

He was responding to a question about Mr Mamdani’s communications with Mr Khalid. “It is not befitting of incumbents to express personal biases. It would be better to focus on the responsibilities assigned to them instead of such comments,” Mr. Jaiswal said.

Mr Khalid has been denied bail since his arrest by the Delhi Police in September 2020.

He was charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act in a case related to clashes between supporters of the Citizenship Amendment Act and those opposing the law in Northeast Delhi in February 2020.