Ali Khan Mahmudabad arrested: Controversy on Ashoka University professor explained

Hindustan Times

18-05-2025

Ali Khan Mahmudabad, an associate professor at Haryana's Ashoka University, was arrested on Sunday morning for allegedly making disparaging remarks against women serving in the armed forces and promoting communal disharmony.
Ali Khan Mahmudabad said last week that his remarks, made in reference to the press conferences addressed by Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh on Operation Sindoor, were not misogynistic and that he was being censored.
On May 12, the Haryana women's commission sent a notice to the professor regarding making public statements on Operation Sindoor on social media.
According to the notice, Mahmudabad had said that the "right-wing people applauding Colonel Sofia Qureshi should demand protection for victims of mob lynchings and arbitrary bulldozing of properties'.
The notice said he had called the briefings by the two senior women officers of the Indian armed forces "optics and hypocrisy". 'But optics must translate to reality on the ground, otherwise it's just hypocrisy,' he had said.
Summoning Mahmudabad, the panel said his remarks raised concerns about "disparagement of women in uniform, including Col Qureshi and Wing Commander Singh and undermined their role as professional officers in the Indian armed forces'.
The commission further said that his remarks misrepresented facts and talked about 'genocide, dehumanisation, and hypocrisy', thereby attributing malicious communal intent to the government and the armed forces as well as inciting communal distress and attempting to disturb internal peace.
Also read: Op Sindoor remarks: Ashoka University prof fails to appear before Haryana women's panel
In a statement released this week on X, the professor stated, 'The screenshots attached to the notice make it clear that my remarks have been completely misunderstood and that the Commission has no jurisdiction whatsoever in the matter. The Women's Commission is a body that serves an important function; however, the summons issued to me fails to highlight how my post is contrary to the rights of or laws for women.'
Also read: 'This is censorship, harassment': Ashoka University professor on Haryana women's panel summons
He said he had appreciated that Colonel Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh were chosen to represent India's stance on Operation Sindoor.
'I even applauded members of the right wing who supported Colonel Qureshi and invited them to have the same attitude for common Indian Muslims who face demonisation and persecution on a daily basis. If anything, my entire comments were about safeguarding the lives of both citizens and soldiers. Furthermore there is nothing remotely misogynistic about my comments that could be construed as anti-women,' he said.
He had called the panel's summons "a new form of censorship and harassment, which invents issues where there are none".
Ashoka University said Mahmudabad's statements didn't represent its views on the matter and were made in individual capacity.
'Ashoka University and all members of the Ashoka community are proud of India's armed forces and support them, unequivocally, in their actions towards maintaining national security. We stand in solidarity with the nation and our forces,' it added.
In a post on Facebook, which had been attached with the notice by the commission, Mahmudabad had written, 'I am very happy to see so many right-wing commentators applauding Colonel Sophia Qureshi but perhaps they could also equally loudly demand that the victims of mob lynchings, arbitrary bulldozing and others who are victims of the BJP's hate mongering be protected as Indian citizens.'