New Delhi : An associate professor and head of the Political Science department at Ashoka University in Haryana has been arrested over a social media post related to Operation Sindoor, India’s retaliatory action against Pakistan following the Pahalgam terrorist attacks. The Haryana State Commission for Women had also issued a notice to him regarding his remarks.
The Commission’s notice included excerpts from Mahmudabad’s post, in which he questioned the “applause from right-wing supporters” for Colonel Sofia Qureshi and suggested that the same people should also advocate for victims of mob lynchings and the “arbitrary” demolition of homes. Assistant Commissioner of Haryana Police (ACP) Ajeet Singh confirmed to news agency PTI that the professor was arrested over his remarks related to Operation Sindoor.
The arrest has sparked an online debate, with several political leaders and academics voicing support for the professor. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi condemned the move, stating that the professor’s post was neither anti-national nor misogynistic, and accused the police of targeting individuals for expressing their opinion. “Utterly condemnable. If true, Haryana police reportedly arrested him from Delhi, violating legal process.
CPI(M) Poliburo member Subhashini Ali also slammed the arrest, calling it “just shocking”. The women’s panel had summoned the professor to appear before it on May 15, but he failed to comply. In its notice, the commission said Mahmudabad’s remarks misrepresented facts by repeatedly invoking terms like “genocide,” “dehumanisation,” and “hypocrisy,” thereby attributing malicious communal intent to the government and armed forces, inciting communal unrest, and attempting to disrupt internal harmony.
“We salute the country’s daughters — Colonel Sofia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh. But the kind of words the professor who teaches political science has used for them… I expected that he would at least present himself before the commission and express regret,” the commission chief Renu Bhatia said earlier.
However, Mahmudabad claimed that the commission had “misread” his comment. “I am surprised that the Women’s Commission, while overreaching its jurisdiction, has misread and misunderstood my posts to such an extent that they have inverted their meaning,” he tweeted. Meanwhile, the university said it is in the process of verifying the details of the case and is cooperating with the authorities.
We have been made aware that Prof. Ali Khan Mahmudabad has been taken into police custody earlier today. We are in the process of ascertaining details of the case. The University will continue to cooperate with the Police and local authorities in the investigation, fully,” the university said in a statement.