Zohran Mamdani, who took oath as New York City mayor on Thursday, and eight members of the US Congress have expressed support for Umar Khalid and several activists behind bars on charges of terrorism for their participation in protests against the new citizenship regime in 2020.
Police have linked the stir to communal riots in the capital in February 2020, and 12 of the 18 accused remain behind bars awaiting trial, and are repeatedly denied bail.
The push from elected representatives of the Democratic Party came after Khalid’s parents met some of them, including Mamdani, during a visit to the US last month.
Khalid’s father S.Q.R. Ilyas said that he and his wife had met Mamdani on December 9, 2025, during a personal visit to the US.
Ilyas said: “He (Mamdani) asked what he could do for Umar… He suggested that we could meet US Congressmen to request them to write to the government of India. We met representative James McGovern and a few others later in Washington DC. He also gave a letter for Umar.”
In his letter, which was posted by Khalid’s friend Banojyotsna Lahiri on Thursday, Mamdani wrote: “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.”
He added: “We are all thinking of you.”
In 2023, Mamdani had read out on stage an open letter to Khalid, expressing solidarity.
House of Representatives members McGovern, Jamie Raskin, Pramila Jayapal, Jan Schakowsky, Rashida Tlaib, and Lloyd Doggett, and senators Chris Van Hollen and Peter Welch wrote to Indian ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra on December 30, urging for bail to Khalid on which the Supreme Court is due to decide.
They said: “The strength of the evidence used to charge Mr Khalid with terrorism namely, the statements of secret witnesses and a misconstrued speech, is dubious. Independent investigations conducted by reputable human rights groups did not find evidence linking Mr Khalid to terrorist activity.”
The leaders also noted that several of the individuals accused in these cases, including Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Gulfisha Fatima and Khalid Saifi, among others, were identified as victims of freedom of religion or belief violations by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.