India, Jan. 9 -- Days after the Supreme Court denied bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, two main accused in the 2020 Delhi riots case, the Ministry of External Affairs reacted to newly sworn-in New York mayor Zohran Mamdani's hand-written note to Khalid and said that "expressing personal prejudices do not behove those in office".

In the note addressed to Khalid, Mamdani had written, "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 note was shared on social media by Khalid's partner, Banojyotsna Lahiri, on January 1, which is also when Mamdani took oath as the first Muslim mayor of New York city. "Zohran Mamdan...