Zohran Mamdani urged Britain’s King Charles III to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond to India before meeting the monarch at the 9/11 Memorial in New York City. (Photo: Reuters)

Return the Kohinoor: Mamdani says he'd urge King Charles to hand diamond to India

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he would encourage King Charles to return the Kohinoor Diamond during the monarch's US visit.

by · India Today

In Short

  • Zohran Mamdani meets King Charles III at 9/11 memorial in New York
  • Meet follows his public call to British King to return Kohinoor to India
  • India demands repartition of diamond taken by East India Company

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday said he would encourage Britain’s King Charles III to return the historic Kohinoor Diamond to India, as the monarch continued his ongoing visit to the United States.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of a ceremony commemorating victims of the September 11 attacks, Mamdani said that while the issue was not part of the official agenda, he would raise it if given a private audience.

“If I were to speak to the king separately from that, I would probably encourage him to return the Kohinoor Diamond,” Mamdani, who is of Indian origin, said hours ahead of his meeting with the British monarch in New York.

The remarks come amid long-standing demands from India for the return of the diamond, which was taken during the colonial era and is currently part of the British Crown Jewels.

Return the Kohinoor: Mamdani says he’d urge King Charles to hand diamond to India

Later in the day, King Charles briefly interacted with Mamdani at the 9/11 memorial event. However, it remains unclear whether the issue of the diamond was discussed during their exchange. Buckingham Palace declined to comment on Mamdani’s remarks and the mayor’s office also did not elaborate on the discussions between them.

The Koh-i-Noor diamond is set atop the Maltese Cross in the British monarch’s crown (Image: PTI)

The Kohinoor is a 105.6-carat diamond from India that passed through various dynasties before being seized by the British East India Company in 1849 via the Treaty of Lahore, which forced the child-king Maharaja Duleep Singh to surrender it. Currently, it is set in the crown of Queen Elizabeth and displayed in the Tower of London.

India maintains that the gem was taken under duress from the Sikh king and has consistently demanded its repatriation, viewing it as a symbol of colonial exploitation. India has previously said that the diamond was a "valued piece of art with strong roots in our nation's history."

However, the UK continues to maintain its legal ownership based on the 19th-century treaty.

Apart from Indian emperors, the diamond of Indian origin has passed through the hands of several rulers, including Mughals, Persian shahs and Afghan emirs before being taken away by the British.

- Ends