Op Sindoor: Ashoka University assoc. professor arrested over FB post

Ashoka University associate professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad has been arrested for a social media post related to Operation Sindoor, the police said in Haryana's Sonipat on Sunday. The action was taken based on a complaint by a BJP Yuva Morcha leader.

"Ali Khan Mahmudabad has been arrested from Delhi," assistant commissioner of police, Rai, Ajeet Singh said over the phone, adding that the professor was arrested in connection with some comments linked to Operation Sindoor.

Reports have emerged that Mahmudabad was transported from Delhi to Sonipat, where the university is located, without the mandatory transit remand.

The arrest comes days after the Haryana State Commission for Women sent a notice to the associate professor over his Operation Sindoor remarks. The 12 May notice mentioned that the panel had taken suo motu cognisance of the "public statements/remarks" made "on or about May 7" by Mahmudabad, head of the political science department of Ashoka University.

The controversy stems from a Facebook post Mahmudabad made following the launch of Operation Sindoor, in which he denounced war hawks and expressed concern over selective nationalism. While acknowledging that he was pleased to see right-wing figures applauding Colonel Sofiya Qureshi — who had briefed the press about the operation — he added that they “perhaps … 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”.

The associate professor described the media briefings by Col Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh as "optics". "But optics must translate to reality on the ground otherwise it's just hypocrisy," he had said.

The Wire reported that following the SCW notice, an open letter expressing support for Mahmudabad received over 1,200 signatures. The letter — floated by historian Aparna Vaidik, a colleague of Mahmudabad’s at Ashoka University, and Delhi University Hindi professor Apoorvanand — condemned the SCW for issuing the summons based on "deliberate and malicious slander", and called for the retraction of the summons and a formal apology from the commission.

Dated Friday, 16 May, the letter pointed out the irony of the situation, stating that it was “preposterous” that even while praising the Army, a simultaneous critique of jingoism and the clamour for war could provoke such institutional retaliation.

In addition to demanding an immediate revocation of the summons and a public apology, the letter called on Ashoka University to unequivocally stand by Mahmudabad, stating that he has “done nothing except carry out his duties as a teacher, a citizen and a person who believes in harmony and peace.”

Among the signatories to the letter were historians Romila Thapar and Ramachandra Guha, filmmaker Anand Patwardhan, and economist Jayati Ghosh.

In a subsequent post following his original one, Mahmudabad — who is also a member of Uttar Pradesh's opposition Samajwadi Party — explicitly criticised what he called the “blind bloodlust for war” amid ongoing India-Pakistan hostilities, urging reflection over jingoism and hyper-nationalism.

The commission issued a notice to Mahmudabad the following day, attaching screenshots of his posts. It stated that the posts appeared to disparage Colonel Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, incite communal unrest, and undermine national integrity.

However, Mahmudabad called the commission’s action 'a new form of censorship and harassment'. He said the commission had misread and misunderstood his posts to such an extent that it inverted their meaning and created issues where none existed.

In an official statement, Ashoka University distanced itself from Mahmudabad’s posts, clarifying that the opinions expressed were solely his personal views.

The university reaffirmed, "Ashoka University and all members of the Ashoka community are proud of India’s armed forces and support them unequivocally."