A surprising arrest
Why the arrest of Professor Khan is worrying
Today, the Supreme Court—the highest court in India—is looking at a case where a professor named Ali Khan Mahmudabad was arrested. He teaches at a college called Ashoka University.
Why was he arrested? He wrote something on social media. In his post, he said it was strange that some people praised an army officer named Col Qureshi but didn't speak up when bad things like mob violence or homes being destroyed unfairly happened in India. Some people disagreed with him or thought it was not the right time to say that. But that doesn't mean what he said was a crime.
Still, the police in Haryana arrested him. They said he was trying to divide people based on religion, hurt the country's unity, and even insult women. These are very serious charges—and they don't really match what the professor said.
One of the laws used against him is a new one called BNS Section 152. It's a lot like an older law called sedition, which was often used to punish people for criticizing the government. That older law was misused a lot and has mostly been removed now. But this new law seems just as dangerous if it's used in the wrong way.
Also, the people who complained about the professor were connected to a political party called the BJP. The police should treat every complaint fairly, no matter who it comes from. But sometimes it looks like they take these complaints more seriously if the person complaining is connected to the ruling party.
The professor had even explained what he meant after he got a notice from a government body, but the police still arrested him. Other teachers at his university called the arrest 'planned bullying.' And many people agree.
This situation raises big questions:
Are the police being fair?
Is this new law too easy to misuse?
Is it okay to arrest someone just because they criticized something?
The Supreme Court has said before that people shouldn't be punished just for saying something others don't like. Instead of using police power, people should respond with their own words and ideas.
Now the court has to decide again: Should someone be put in jail just for sharing their thoughts politely—even if not everyone agrees with them?
This case shows us how important free speech is in a democracy—and why we must protect it.
Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer
Views expressed above are the author's own.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
40 minutes ago
- India Today
Protests in Mathura after suspected beef meat pieces found near Eidgah, 11 arrested
Pieces of meat suspected to be beef were found in an empty plot near an Eidgah on Barsana Road in Mathura district, sparking protests by members of some right-wing outfits, police said on meat pieces were found in Govardhan area on Saturday night, they said, adding 11 accused have been a separate incident in the Mant area of the district, the recovery of a burnt cow carcass on the Yamuna Expressway service road on Saturday also led to protests by Hindu An FIR was registered in the Barsana Road incident under various sections of the Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act against 24 named individuals and 50 unidentified persons, police said."Locals alleged that it was cow meat, samples of which have been sent to a forensic laboratory for examination," Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shlok Kumar said that after receiving information about the meat pieces near the Eidgah late Saturday evening, members of the Gorakshak Dal and some Hindu organizations gathered at the site and started protests."We reached the spot and pacified the crowd. An FIR has been registered against 24 named individuals and 50 unknown persons. Strict action will be taken against the culprits," the SSP the basis of CCTV footage, police have arrested 11 accused in this case. All the accused have been sent to jail, police arrested accused were identified as Saqir, Sohil, Intezaar, Ansar, Pintu, Asin, Sunny, Usman, Firoz, Farukh and Shekhar, all residents of Jain Gali, knives, two axes, horns and animal skin kept in a sack were recovered from their possession, police accused allegedly carried out slaughter of an animal belonging to cow family in an empty plot on Saturday evening, after which people found an animal's head and pieces of meat lying there, police the Mant area, the finding of a burnt cow carcass enraged Hindu Circle Officer Gunjan Singh said that some Hindu activists protested over the incident and demanded an to police, locals informed them that the cow's body had been lying there for two-three days before someone set it on fire on BJP leader Ashok Saraswat has filed a complaint on behalf of the Radharani Gauseva Trust in connection with this incident, police police station SHO Jasbir Singh said that the remains of the cow's carcass were cremated. Efforts are underway to identify individuals who were present near the incident site, Singh said.
Time of India
40 minutes ago
- Time of India
Vidarbha Mukti Morcha's two-day dharna in Chanda for statehood
Chandrapur: The Vidarbha Mukti Morcha and its youth wing, Vidarbha Mukti Yuva Morcha, will hold a two-day dharna (sit-in agitation) on June 9 and 10 at the statue of barrister Rajabhau Khobragade, here, to press for the long-pending demand of a separate Vidarbha state. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The announcement was made by Vidarbha Mukti Morcha leader Kishore Potonwar during a press conference. Potonwar recalled that a resolution in support of a separate Vidarbha was unanimously passed during the BJP's national convention held in Bhubaneswar in 1997. At the time, several senior BJP leaders from Vidarbha, along with Jambuwantrao Dhote, had taken to the streets. The BJP had promised that it would create a separate Vidarbha state once it comes to power. However, that promise remains unfulfilled, and the BJP has kept silent on the issue. He added that even though leaders like Jambuwantrao Dhote, Rajesaheb Vishweshwar Rao Maharaj, TG Deshmukh, Tirpude, and Biyani are no more, the struggle for Vidarbha continues. Potonwar alleged that the BJP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra deliberately sidelined the Vidarbha statehood issue by projecting Shiv Sena at the forefront. He further noted that the Vidarbha Rajya Andolan Samiti had staged a protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar and submitted memorandums to Members of Parliament. While BJP facilitated the creation of three new states — Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, and Jharkhand — it treated the Vidarbha issue differently from Telangana. Later, Congress carved Telangana out of Andhra Pradesh, but ignored Vidarbha's demand. "There is growing unrest among unemployed youth, farmers, workers, and government employees who can no longer bear the injustice inflicted upon Vidarbha. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now People are preparing for a decisive struggle to save their resources — Surjagad and Manikgarh mines, the rivers Wainganga and Painganga, and the lifeline Godavari," he said. Potonwar called upon to the youth of Vidarbha to join the movement, stating that a separate Vidarbha would pave the way for employment opportunities for educated youth, industrial growth, affordable access to coal, water, and electricity, and an end to load-shedding. He asserted that self-reliance will reduce farmer suicides, and once Nagpur becomes the capital, tribal communities will save on travel expenses and access justice more easily. He also remarked that the EVM machines will be "shut down," hinting at systemic change. Dr Tirumal Mujam, Sunil Junghare, Adv Vilas Mathankar, and Dheeraj Chikte were also present during the press conference.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Gehlot blames govt for power cuts, energy min says ‘no load shedding'
Jaipur: Former chief minister Sunday criticised the Bhajan Lal govt for frequent power cuts in the state. In a post on X, he said, "When the BJP govt in Rajasthan completed one year, they loudly proclaimed that Rajasthan was a surplus state in terms of electricity. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now However, as soon as the heat began to rise, power cuts started occurring everywhere, in both villages and cities." "Power cuts in a surplus state directly indicate govt mismanagement. The electricity distribution infrastructure in Rajasthan collapsed, causing distress to the common people," he added. Energy minister Heeralal Nagar dismissed Gehlot's claims as "misleading". Nagar stated that there was no load shedding across the state during this year's summer and power supply was only interrupted in a few areas for maintenance, and that too with prior notice. He credited the absence of power cuts to improved management and infrastructure upgrade carried out by the BJP govt. Highlighting achievements, Nagar said over 1,000 MW of solar power had been integrated into the state grid in the past 18 months, and projects worth more than 10,000 MW were in the pipeline. Rajasthan was set to receive 4,000 MW of battery storage support from the Union government, he said, adding that BJP govt completed 80 GSS projects.
