Latest news with #Sonipat-based
The Print
10 hours ago
- Health
- The Print
Jindal University suspends classes citing ‘AC issues', students say it's breakdown of infra
A cascade of issues followed, as several students fell sick, with bronchitis among other diseases. On the campus, a portion of the reading room ceiling also collapsed—a photo shows debris and broken desks scattered across the room—in what students said could have been a bigger crisis. A Jindal University fifth-year law student told The Print that a semester ago, a severe mould infestation hit their one-year-old hostel block. They noticed streaks of condensed water on hostel walls where the mould spores were thriving, the student said on the condition of anonymity, fearing backlash. New Delhi: Jindal University has suspended classes for a week, citing 'air-conditioning issues'. Students at the Sonipat-based university, however, report an infrastructural breakdown due to administrative delays in taking measures to check seepage and persistent mould in their hostels despite several complaints for months. The letter that the Jindal University's registrar issued to announce the week-long suspension of classes started with the university 'acknowledging the concerns about the air conditioning issues in some of our residential hostels, while noting that systems are working fine in a few other residential hostels'. However, what the university seems to be seeing as a 'minor disruption', students view as an infrastructural breakdown. 'One of our biggest problems this semester was water condensation. The only way to remedy the situation was to keep the room AC on at 15 degrees Celsius, all the time. Then, people started getting sick,' said the fifth-year law student. The student herself is currently suffering from bronchitis. With the university's attendance policy no longer permitting medical leave for students, the infection continued to spread over the semester. 'We had mould on the ventilator in our bathroom. I have friends with asthma, and they have been most affected,' said another Jindal University student, also a law student, who has been suffering from sinusitis. Photos and videos that the students showed ThePrint were of mould build-up in various dormitory rooms, walls thick with seepage, and water gushing into a hostel room. Money 'not well-spent' Jindal University law students spend Rs 2.4 lakh each semester on accommodations. Students said they consistently raised their issues, but to no avail. For the most part, the Jindal University administration was dismissive and told students to redirect their concerns to Good Host Spaces, a private company responsible for looking after the hostels. However, the company sent them straight back to the university administration. 'There is no accountability, no acknowledgement. The university genuinely does not care. Students are never stakeholders. But we have been fighting tooth and nail with the administration,' said a third-year Jindal University student. According to the students, they also had to purchase humidifiers using their funds, which the university did not think to compensate. Jindal University has been facing a litany of complaints. Students have approached the administration with complaints of waterlogging during the monsoons, trash burning on the campus grounds, pest infestations, and an abundance of bird nests and faeces, especially from pigeons, which are also known to be carriers of diseases. However, it is only now that the administration has finally woken up to solving problems. According to students, they began sharing photos of the condition of their hostels on social media and airing their grievances publicly, after which parents started sending emails to the administration. 'The administration took note only after that. Everyone started emailing, and parents were reaching out, as well,' said another student. Many Jindal University students, however, said that the extent of the issue was such that a week would not be enough to conduct all the required structural repairs. 'Our hostel, which has seen the most problems, was not even mentioned in the mail. It seemed very ChatGPT-esque,' the student commented on the registrar's letter. 'And, it (university administration) suspended classes in the middle of the semester when it had three months of summer break to do everything.' (Edited by Madhurita Goswami) Also Read: Girl in suitcase video: 6 OP Jindal students suspended, to appear before disciplinary panel
Indian Express
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
SC grants interim bail to Ashoka University professor, but calls his remarks on Op Sindoor ‘dog whistling'
Ashoka University Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad Bail: The Supreme Court Wednesday granted interim bail to associate professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad of Sonipat-based Ashoka University, days after he was arrested over his remarks allegedly disparaging women officers in the Indian Armed Forces and promoting communal disharmony. The top court, however, called the professor's social media post 'dog whistling'. A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India B R Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih, however, refused to stay the investigation and directed the DGP of Haryana to set up 3-member special investigation team. Mahmudabad was arrested on May 18 after two FIRs were lodged under stringent charges, including endangering sovereignty and integrity, for his social media posts over Operation Sindoor. He was produced before a local court in Sonipat on May 18 and was remanded in police custody for two days in a case registered on a complaint from the Haryana State Commission for Women (HSCW) filed a day before. The HSCW recently sent a notice to him questioning the remarks, though Mahmudabad maintained they were 'misunderstood' and underscored his fundamental right to freedom of speech. Haryana Police said the two FIRs were lodged at the Rai Police Station in Sonipat — one based on a complaint from the chairperson of Haryana State Commission for Women, Renu Bhatia, and the other on the complaint of a village sarpanch.
New Indian Express
20-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
'Stark violation' of academic freedom: Students, professors back Ashoka University professor
SONIPAT: Students of Ashoka University has come forward supporting their professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad, terming his arrest as a stark violation" of not just academic freedom, but of the very principles he taught them and stood for. Teachers from different universities have also come out in support. Ali Khan Mahmudabad, an associate professor at the Sonipat-based university, was arrested for his social media posts on Operation Sindoor. The students also joined the call for his immediate release, terming Mahmudabad's arrest "wrongful". A Sonipat court on Tuesday sent Mahmudabad to judicial custody till May 27. Haryana Police arrested Mahmudabad, the head of Ashoka University's political science department, on Sunday after two FIRs were registered against him, alleging his social media post on Operation Sindoor endangered the sovereignty and integrity of the country. The FIRs were lodged at the Rai police station in Sonipat district -- one based on a complaint by the chairperson of Haryana State Commission for Women, Renu Bhatia, and the other on a complaint by a village sarpanch. On Sunday, the faculty association of Ashoka University condemned Mahmudabad's arrest and demanded his immediate release. Coming out in support of Mahmudabad, the students of the varsity said in a statement on Monday, "We, the students of the course 'Banish the Poets', stand firmly united and in solidarity with our professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad." Throughout the course, professor Khan lectured on love, consistently emphasising secular values such as reason, compassion, justice and freedom of thought as the foundations for meaningful dialogue. "His wrongful arrest is a stark violation of not just academic freedom, but of the very principles he taught us and stood for. Mahmudabad emphasised the power of the written word and encouraged them to speak," the students said. He encouraged us to share our truths, and to hold space for each other. It was under his guidance and in the space created by his lectures that many of us felt emboldened to speak, share, write, enjoy and appreciate the safety and sanctity of that space. "The principles of compassion, justice and freedom he believed in were not something he only taught or preached; he lived them, and in doing so, he helped us live them more truly," the statement said. The students said Mahmudabad always taught them to question everything and form their own opinions. He also taught us to never express disrespect towards our nation and its Constitution, they said in the statement, adding that Mahmudabad remained one of the most "articulate", "passionate" and "intelligent" educators they came across. Calling Mahmudabad a "principled academic, a brilliant orator, a kind mentor and a brave academic", the students said, "We are beyond fortunate to have learnt from him. Earlier, the faculty association of the university in a statement strongly condemned Mahmudabad's arrest on "groundless and untenable charges".
Indian Express
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
After 2 days in police remand, Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad sent to judicial custody
Ali Khan Mahmudabad, the Ashoka University associate professor arrested over a social media post about Operation Sindoor, was sent to judicial custody by a Sonipat district court on Tuesday. The next hearing of the case has been fixed for May 27. Mahmudabad, head of the Sonipat-based university's Department of Political Science, was arrested on May 18 by the Haryana police in Delhi based on two FIRs lodged on complaints received from Haryana State Commission for Women Chairperson Renu Bhatia and Jatheri village sarpanch Yogesh Jatheri, also the general secretary of the ruling BJP's youth wing in the state. Both the FIRs refer to a May 8 Facebook post by Mahmudabad, a Samajwadi Party member and former spokesperson, in which he said the optics of the media briefing on Operation Sindoor by women officers–Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh–were 'important' but would be 'hypocrisy' if they didn't 'translate to reality on the ground'. With the remarks, Mahmudabad is alleged to have 'disparaged women officers in the Indian armed forces and promoted communal disharmony'. Both FIRs were registered at the Rai police station in Sonipat district. The FIR based on the complaint of Bhatia has been registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 353 (statements conducing to public mischief), 79 (word, gesture or act intended to insult modesty of a woman), and 152 (act endangering sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India). The FIR on Jatheri's complaint has been lodged under BNS sections 196(1)B (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), 197(1)C (assertions prejudicial to national integration), 152 (act endangering sovereignty, unity and integrity of India), and 299 (malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings). Mahmudabad's arrest has triggered a wave of outrage from academics and Opposition parties, from the TMC to the RJD to the AIMIM, which described it as 'deplorable' and 'utterly condemnable'. The Opposition parties also referred to remarks made on May 12 by Madhya Pradesh Tribal Affairs Minister Vijay Shah that India taught a lesson to those responsible for the Pahalgam terrorist attack using 'their own sister (unki samaj ki behen ke zariye)' in an indirect reference to Colonel Qureshi. They pointed out that no action was taken against the BJP leader. In an internal email circulated on May 18, the Committee for Academic Freedom at Ashoka University called Mahmudabad's arrest 'disproportionate punishment made on flimsy grounds,' and 'a fundamental attack on academic freedom'. Sukhbir Siwach's extensive and in-depth coverage of farmer agitation against three farm laws during 2020-21 drew widespread attention. ... Read More
Hindustan Times
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
'Professor Mahmudabad lectured on love, secular values': Ashoka University students slam his arrest
Students of Sonipat-based Ashoka University have shown their solidarity with associate professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad, who was arrested by the Haryana Police on Sunday after two FIRs were registered against him, alleging his social media posts on Operation Sindoor endangered the sovereignty and integrity of the country. On Sunday, the faculty association of Ashoka University condemned Ali Khan Mahmudabad's arrest and demanded his immediate release. Terming the arrest as a 'stark violation' of not just academic freedom, but of the very principles he taught them and stood for, the students of the varsity said in a statement on Monday, "We, the students of the course 'Banish the Poets', stand firmly united and in solidarity with our professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad. "Throughout the course, professor Khan lectured on love, consistently emphasising secular values such as reason, compassion, justice and freedom of thought as the foundations for meaningful dialogue. His wrongful arrest is a stark violation of not just academic freedom, but of the very principles he taught us and stood for.' The students added that Mahmudabad emphasised the power of the written word and encouraged them to speak. 'He encouraged us to share our truths, and to hold space for each other. It was under his guidance and in the space created by his lectures that many of us felt emboldened to speak, share, write, enjoy and appreciate the safety and sanctity of that space. The principles of compassion, justice and freedom he believed in were not something he only taught or preached; he lived them, and in doing so, he helped us live them more truly,' the statement said. The students also joined the call for his immediate release, terming Mahmudabad's arrest "wrongful". The Haryana Police arrested Mahmudabad, the head of Ashoka University's political science department, after two FIRs were registered against him. The FIRs were lodged at the Rai police station in Sonipat district – one based on a complaint by the chairperson of Haryana State Commission for Women, Renu Bhatia, and the other on a complaint by a village sarpanch. The May 12 notice mentioned that the panel has taken suo motu cognisance of the "public statements/remarks" made "on or about May 7" by Mahmudabad. "We salute the country's daughters -- Colonel Sofiya 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 today and express regret," Commission chairperson Renu Bhatia had said. The associate professor described the media briefings by Army colonel Qureshi and IAF's wing commander Vyomika Singh as "optics". "But optics must translate to reality on the ground otherwise it's just hypocrisy," he had said. The Congress, CPI(M), AIMIM and Trinamool Congress have also denounced the police action against Mahmudabad, who maintained that his comments were "misunderstood", asserting that he only exercised his fundamental right to freedom of speech. (With inputs from PTI)
