A handwritten note by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to jailed activist Umar Khalid has triggered a fresh political and ideological confrontation in India, drawing in Khalid’s family, Opposition leaders, the BJP, Hindu groups and US lawmakers.

AIMPLB spokesperson and Khalid’s father, Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, confirmed meeting Mamdani during a visit to the United States.

"We met him for about 25 minutes. He also told me that he wanted to give a letter in Umar Khalid’s name, which he wrote in his own handwriting and handed over to us, and we thanked him for it. He has assured full support," Ilyas said on Friday.

The note itself was made public by Khalid’s partner, Banojyotsna Lahiri, who posted it on X with the line, “When prisons try to isolate, words travel.”

In the handwritten message, Mamdani referred to Khalid’s thoughts on “bitterness” and the need to not let it consume a person. He mentioned meeting Khalid’s parents and wrote that “we are all thinking of you.”

Asked whether Mamdani raising the issue internationally would create pressure, Ilyas said, “The matter has recently been argued in the Supreme Court, and I myself was present during the hearing. I am hopeful that bail will be granted this time.”

BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya linked Mamdani’s letter to what he called a clear ideological pattern.

“Soon after taking oath as Mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani appoints Ramzi Kassem as NYC Chief Counsel, who defended Ahmed al-Darbi in an al–Qaeda related terrorism case and also goes on to pen a letter in support of incarcerated Umar Khalid," Malviya wrote on X.

For Malviya, the letter to Khalid was “not coincidence” but a sign of ideological alignment.

BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari went a step further, placing the controversy within a larger narrative.

In a post on X, he traced meetings between US lawmakers and Rahul Gandhi, the reintroduction of a US bill naming India over Islamophobia, and a recent letter by American lawmakers raising concerns over Khalid.

"Every time an anti India narrative is peddled abroad, one name keeps recurring in the background: Rahul Gandhi. Those who want to weaken India, defame its elected government, and dilute its anti-terror laws seem to inevitably converge around him," Bhandari said.

VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal also targeted US lawmakers who have written to Indian Ambassador Vinay Kwatra seeking bail for Khalid. He accused them of speaking up for “criminals” in India while staying silent on attacks on Hindus and temples in the US and on atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh.

On Mamdani’s note, Bansal said the mayor should have checked the “truth” about Khalid before writing to him and questioned the mindset of “standing by killers”.

"The newly elected mayor, who took an oath on Quran, is insulting it," he said about Mamdani.

The US lawmakers, for their part, have urged the Indian government to grant Khalid bail and ensure a fair and timely trial in line with international law.

Khalid is accused under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, and IPC provisions of being among the “masterminds” of the February 2020 Delhi riots that left 53 people dead and over 700 injured. The UAPA places a heavy burden on the accused, making bail difficult unless the case is shown to be false at the threshold.

For Opposition leaders, the note became a talking point on prolonged incarceration and bail. Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi questioned why Khalid’s bail had not been granted despite the availability of top lawyers in Delhi.

"When people are in distress, they seek help. What serious charges have been imposed on him that he has been in jail for so long? I believe Umar Khalid has never intentionally done anything wrong. When nothing else was working, he must have seen a ray of hope thereHe must have discussed with Mamdani what should be done," Azmi said.

On claims that Khalid had connections abroad, Ilyas rejected the suggestion. Khalid, he said, does not even have a passport and has been in jail for the past five years, making it impossible for him to have met foreign leaders or built overseas links.

Congress leader Bhai Jagtap dismissed the backlash as politicisation.

"Umar Khalid is not a terrorist. This was a social message that (New York Mayor) Mamdani sought to convey, and it should not be given a political angle. This issue should be discussed at an international forum,” Jagtap said.