Who is Ali Khan Mahmudabad, Ashoka University professor arrested for Operation Sindoor remarks?
The controversy surrounds social media posts Ali Khan Mahmudabad made on May 8, a day after India launched strikes targeting 9 terror camps in Pakistan and PoK.
Ali Khan Mahmudabad, an associate professor at Ashoka University, was arrested on Sunday over his social media remarks about Operation Sindoor, the recent Indian military strikes against terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Mahmudabad, 42, currently heads the Department of Political Science at Ashoka University in Sonipat, Haryana. He was taken into custody based on a complaint filed by Yogesh Jatheri, general secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Yuva Morcha in Haryana.
The charges against him include provisions under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for inciting rebellion, disturbing communal harmony, and insulting religious sentiments, according to reports.
While Haryana Police confirmed the arrest, they have not provided further details. A university statement said it is "in the process of ascertaining details" and will fully cooperate with the authorities.
Who is Ali Khan Mahmudabad?
Born on December 2, 1982, Ali Khan Mahmudabad comes from a prominent political and royal lineage. He is the son of the late Mohammad Amir Mohammad Khan, also known as Raja Saheb of Mahmudabad, who fought a decades-long legal battle over properties seized under the Enemy Properties Act. His grandfather, Mohammad Amir Ahmad Khan, was the last ruling Raja of Mahmudabad and an influential figure in the Muslim League prior to India’s partition.
He received his early education at La Martiniere in Lucknow and later studied in the UK at King’s College School and Winchester College. He earned his MPhil and PhD in Historical Studies from the University of Cambridge and studied Arabic at the University of Damascus in Syria. He has written extensively on the Middle East, drawing from travels across Syria, Iran, and Iraq, with his work appearing in publications including National Geographic.
In addition to his academic contributions, Mahmudabad is a poet, writer, and commentator on contemporary political issues. He briefly entered politics, joining the Samajwadi Party in 2017. He is married to the daughter of Haseeb Drabu, a former minister in Jammu and Kashmir.
What sparked the arrest?
The controversy surrounds social media posts Mahmudabad made on May 8, a day after India launched strikes targeting nine terror camps as part of Operation Sindoor — a response to the brutal killing of 26 civilians in Pahalgam. In his post, Mahmudabad highlighted what he described as the irony of Hindutva commentators praising Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, a Muslim woman officer who participated in the military press briefing.
The Haryana State Commission for Women took suo motu cognizance of his remarks, accusing him of undermining the dignity of women in the armed forces and promoting communal disharmony. A summons was issued days before his arrest.
In response, Ali stated his remarks were “misunderstood,” describing the summons as part of a “new form of censorship and harassment.”
As the situation unfolds, Ashoka University has maintained a cautious stance. “We have been made aware that Prof. Ali Khan Mahmudabad has been taken into police custody. We are in the process of ascertaining details. The University will continue to cooperate fully,” the institution said in a statement.
