An associate professor at Ashoka University in Haryana has been detained over a social media post concerning Operation Sindoor, India’s response to Pakistan after the Pahalgam terrorist attack.
Professor arrested following complaint of BJP’s youth wing member
The professor, Ali Khan Mahmudabad, was arrested in Delhi following a complaint lodged by a member of the BJP youth wing. The Haryana State Commission for Women had likewise sent him a notice concerning his comments.
The notice from the Commission highlighted portions of Mahmudabad’s post, where he criticized the “approval from right-wing backers” for Colonel Sofia Qureshi and proposed that these individuals should also support victims of mob lynchings and the “unjust” destruction of residences. Mahmudabad, however, stated that his remarks were misunderstood.
Ajeet Singh, the Assistant Commissioner of Haryana Police, informed news agency PTI that the professor was detained for his comments regarding Operation Sindoor.
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Asaduddin Owaisi condemned the arrest
The detention has ignited an online discussion, with various political figures and scholars expressing their backing for the professor. AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi criticized the action, asserting that the professor’s statement was not anti-national or misogynistic, and claimed that the police are singling out people for sharing their views.
“Utterly condemnable. If true, Haryana police reportedly arrested him from Delhi, violating legal process. This targets an individual for his opinions; his post wasn’t anti-national or misogynistic. A mere complaint by a BJP worker made Haryana police take action,” Owaisi tweeted.
CPI(M) Politburo member Subhashini Ali also criticized the arrest, labeling it “simply outrageous.”
The women’s panel had requested the professor to appear on May 15, but he did not comply. In its announcement, the commission stated that Mahmudabad’s comments distorted the truth by continuously using phrases such as “genocide,” “dehumanisation,” and “hypocrisy,” thus imbuing the government and military with harmful communal motives, provoking communal discord, and seeking to undermine social cohesion.
Mahmudabad claims his comment was ‘misread’
Nonetheless, Mahmudabad asserted that the commission had “misinterpreted” his comments.
“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.
