The Indian government delivered a sharp rebuke to New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani after a letter he wrote to jailed Indian activist Umar Khalid was publicised.
Mamdani penned the letter in early December after meeting Khalid’s parents, who were visiting the United States in December last year.
Khalid’s parents shared the letter a few days ago, which has been circulating on social media platforms such as X and Instagram.
Randhir Jaiswal from the external affairs ministry said in a public statement that Mamdani should focus on his own affairs rather than wading into another country’s.
“On the issue of comments made by the Mayor of New York [City], we expect public representatives to be respectful of the independence of judiciaries in other democracies,” Jaiswal said. “Expressing personal prejudices does not behove those in office,” he added.
“Instead of such comments, it would be better to focus on the responsibilities entrusted to them.”
Student activist Khalid has been held in prison without trial since September 2020, and is accused of being behind the New Delhi riots that took place in February 2020. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) considers Khalid as being persecuted for “protesting religious freedom conditions”.
The USCIRF recommends designating India as a “Country of Particular Concern” for its intolerance towards religious minorities.
Khalid was charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, or UAPA, a law that allows for prolonged detention and makes bail exceptionally difficult.
On Monday, India’s Supreme Court rejected Khalid’s bail application.
Mamdani’s letter to Khalid reads, “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 letter reads.
Eight US lawmakers also wrote a letter to Indian ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra, dated 30 December, urging India to grant Khalid bail and a free trial “in accordance with international law”.
Democratic Congressman Jim McGovern, who is co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, shared the letter, which was also signed by Democratic Representatives Jamie Raskin, Pramila Jayapal, Jan Schakowsky, Lloyd Doggett and Rashida Tlaib; and Democratic Senators Chris Van Hollen and Peter Welch.
McGovern and some of the others had also met Khalid’s parents during their December visit.
New Delhi riots
In 2020, the Modi government changed the citizenship law to expedite citizenship for persecuted Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
Muslims in India protested against their exclusion.
Hindu right-wing mobs attacked peaceful sit-ins in New Delhi, which precipitated a deadly riot.
More than 50 people, largely Muslims, were killed. It is perceived to be the most violent episode in New Delhi since the anti-Sikh riots of 1984.
Indian police arrested more than 2,000 people. The New Delhi Police, accused of bias against Muslims, arrested activists and students, many of them Muslim, accusing them of orchestrating the violence.
At least 18 student leaders and activists were arrested, including Khalid. Over the past five years, Khalid’s bail applications have been rejected repeatedly.
International human rights organisations have repeatedly called for his release. On 5 January, some of the accused were released on bail, but not Khalid.
In a statement, Amnesty International said, “While we welcome the court’s decision to grant bail to their co-accused, it is shameful that Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam continue to be denied bail.”
“Neither of these individuals should be in detention in the first place. They have been detained for more than five years without trial on politically motivated allegations – the charges against them should be dropped and their release should be unconditional.”
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Source: MEE
