CHANDIGARH: Days after the Haryana State Commission for Women issued a show-cause notice to an associate professor of Ashoka University in Sonepat, Ali Khan Mahmudabad, for his remarks on Operation Sindoor, the Haryana Police has arrested him as two cases have been registered against him.In one of his social media posts, Mahmudabad invited the right-wing people applauding Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, who led the media briefing during Operation Sindoor, to demand protection for victims of mob lynchings and the arbitrary bulldozing of properties.The associate professor stated that the “optics” of the media briefings led by Col Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh “must translate to reality on the ground, otherwise it’s just hypocrisy.”The two cases against Mahmudabad were registered based on complaints filed by Yogesh Jatheri, a BJP Youth Morcha leader and the sarpanch of Jatheri village, and Haryana women’s commission chairperson Renu Bhatia. Later, the associate professor was arrested from Delhi.Deputy Commissioner of Police, Narender Kadyan, said Mahmudabad was arrested in Delhi in connection with comments made regarding Operation Sindoor. He stated that two FIRs have been registered against Mahmudabad at the Rai police station.“The first FIR was filed based on a complaint by Yogesh Jatheri under sections 196, 197, 152 and 299 of BNS, and the second FIR was registered following a complaint from Haryana women’s commission chairperson Renu Bhatia under sections 353, 79, 152, 169 (1) of BNS. He will be produced in court and the police will seek his remand for further investigation,” Kadyan said. Defending the professor, a letter signed by as many as 1,000 renowned scholars and academicians described him as a “good citizen and a true patriot.” The letter pointed out that in his social media posts, Mahmudabad had “analysed how any distinction between the terrorists or non-state actors and the Pakistani military has now collapsed, and said that the optics of the women officers chosen for media debriefs was “important” as proof that the secular vision of the founders of our Republic is still alive.””Far from being misogynist or anti-national, Prof Khan’s posts are driven by a clear moral vision of what being a good citizen means and are actually the words of a true patriot who is concerned with the lives of both soldiers and citizens,” the letter signed by veteran historians Romila Thapar and Ramachandra Guha and scholars such as Jayati Ghosh, Nivedita Menon and Ram Puniyani noted. Meanwhile, a statement issued by Ashoka University read, “We have been made aware that Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad has been taken into police custody earlier today. We are in the process of ascertaining details of the case. The university will cooperate with the police and local authorities in the investigation fully.”The CPI(M), AIMIM leader Asaddudin Owaisi and Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra also condemned the arrest in strong words.Reacting to the arrest, Member of Parliament Asaduddin Owaisi wrote on X, “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.”
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