Op Sindoor remarks: Ashoka University prof fails to appear before Haryana women’s panel
Haryana State Commission for Women had sent notice to associate professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad of private university over his Operation Sindoor remarks “disparaging women in the armed forces and promoting communal disharmony”.
Karnal/Chandigarh: Two days after he was summoned for his Operation Sindoor remarks “disparaging women in the armed forces and promoting communal disharmony”, Ali Khan Mahmudabad, an associate professor of Sonepat-based Ashoka University, failed to appear before the Haryana State Commission for Women in Panchkula on Wednesday.
Commission chief Renu Bhatia said: “Mahmudabad was summoned to appear before the panel at its Panchkula office at 10am. We waited for him till 3pm, but he did not turn up. Instead, around 3pm, he intimated us on e-mail that he had received our notice very late due to which he was unable to make it. This is a mere excuse to avoid appearance. Is Sonepat so far away? I have staff coming to Panchkula from Sonepat daily. It’s hardly a two-hour drive.”
‘Mentality of rebellion’
Bhatia said the commission was exploring legal recourse against Mahmudabad. “His social media posts suggest his mentality is of rebellion against the country. There is no love for the country. He lives in India, achieved his accomplishments here, but uses such a language against his own people,” she said.
In its May 12 notice, the panel said it was taking cognisance of the “public statements/remarks made on or about May 7” by Mahmudabad in connection with Operation Sindoor on social media.
The Indian armed forces hit terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the early hours of May 7 under Operation Sindoor in retaliation to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, mostly tourists.
Mahmudabad’s remarks were annexed to the notice, and in one of them, he said that “right-wing people applauding Colonel Sofia Qureshi should demand protection for victims of mob lynchings and arbitrary bulldozing of properties”. The associate professor described the media briefings by Colonel 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 commission said an initial review of Mahmudabad’s remarks had raised concerns about the “disparagement of women in uniform, including Col Qureshi and Wing Commander Singh and undermined their role as professional officers in the Indian armed forces”.
Wing Commander Singh briefed the media last week alongside foreign secretary Vikram Misri and Colonel Qureshi on Operation Sindoor.
The commission said Mahmudabad’s remarks reveal misrepresentation of facts with repeated reference to “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. It also saw the comments as attempts at vilifying military actions and the role of women officers in response to cross-border terrorism, potential incitement to public unrest, especially targeting communal harmony and undermining national integrity.
The notice said the comments were a breach of ethical conduct expected of university faculty and the University Grants Commission (UGC) Regulations, 2018.
‘Highly shameful conduct’
Bhatia condemned the associate professor’s statement as “highly shameful” and said she had scanned his social media profiles and posts. “The two women officers are icons of the country and inspire the daughters of India. They represented India at the briefings that were being watched by the world. I’m amazed how this man became a professor when he can’t respect daughters. What will he teach his students? If he could say this about them, what about the girls of the university? He should not be a professor now and Ashoka (University) should think about this,” she said.
An e-mail by Hindustan Times to Mahmudabad’s official ID seeking his comment did not elicit any response till the filing of this report. Mahmudabad, who holds a PhD and MPhil from the University of Cambridge, studied Arabic at the University of Damascus in Syria and history and political science from Amherst College, US, during his graduation. A historian, political scientist, poet and columnist, he also writes for various publications.
The notice accused him of undermining the officers’ contributions, and attributing communal motives to the government and armed forces. It was issued after the commission took suo motu cognisance of his remarks by powers vested under section 10 (1)(f) and 10 (1)(1) of the Haryana State Commission for Women Act, 2012.
In a statement, Ashoka University said, “Comments made by a Faculty member on his personal social media pages do not represent the opinion of the university. These statements have been made by him independently in his 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.
