Nothing wrong in Mamdani writing note for jailed activist Umar Khalid: Cong leader Chavan

Mumbai, Jan 5 (PTI) Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan on Monday said there was nothing wrong in New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani writing a note for jailed activist Umar Khalid, saying human rights are also an important issue.

The Supreme Court on Monday denied bail to Khalid in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case. The activist, arrested nearly 6 years ago, and three co-accused were booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and provisions of the erstwhile IPC for allegedly being the "masterminds" of the riots, which left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.

Talking to PTI Videos here, Chavan said Mamdani, a democratic socialist leader whose mother is award-winning Indian filmmaker Mira Nair, has faith in politics of this country.

"He (Mamdani) spoke in Hindi during his campaign (for mayoral polls) to appeal to Indians (in US). Indian blood flows in him. If injustice is happening to an Indian, he has every right to intervene. He may be an American citizen, but human rights are also more important. I don't think there is need to panic if he has written a letter," the former Union minister stated.

In the note posted on social media last week, Mamdani recalled Khalid's words on “bitterness” and the importance of not letting it consume one's self.

The note was posted on X by Khalid’s partner Banojyotsna Lahiri. “When prisons try to isolate, words travel. Zohran Mamdani writes to Umar Khalid,” the caption accompanying the note said.

“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 handwritten note signed by Mamdani said.

The BJP has accused the newly-elected New York City Mayor of interfering in India's internal affairs by writing to the jailed activist. PTI MR RSY