New Delhi: Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad of Ashoka University has been sent to 14-day judicial custody. He was arrested for a social media post seen as critical of the Indian armed forces and two women officers involved in Operation Sindoor.
A Sonepat court on Monday rejected the Haryana police’s request for a 7-day remand. Instead, it sent Professor Mahmudabad to judicial custody for 14 days.
Professor Mahmudabad heads the Political Science department at Ashoka University. He was arrested on Sunday following a complaint by Yogesh Jatheri, a BJP Yuva Morcha leader in Haryana.
The complaint was linked to Mahmudabad’s post on Operation Sindoor. This operation was India’s military response to the recent Pahalgam terror attack. In his post, the professor described the army’s media briefings as “optics” and “hypocrisy.”
The briefings were led by two women officers — Colonel Sofia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh. Mahmudabad’s post said their presence was symbolic unless followed by real change on the ground.
His comments drew sharp criticism from right-wing circles. The Haryana State Commission for Women also filed a separate case. He has been booked under charges related to endangering national integrity and sovereignty.
Mahmudabad defended himself, saying his post was misunderstood. He claimed he was exercising his right to free speech under the Constitution.
In the post, he urged those praising women in uniform to also speak for mob lynching victims and people whose homes are demolished without legal notice.
Opposition leaders across parties slammed the arrest. TMC, AIMIM, and others called it “deplorable” and a blow to free speech.
The Ashoka University Faculty Association issued a statement in support of Mahmudabad. They called him a “dedicated academic” and urged his immediate release.
Students at Ashoka University also came out in protest. Many called his arrest a clear attack on academic freedom and civil rights.
The professor has now challenged his arrest in the Supreme Court. The case is expected to be heard on Wednesday.The controversy has sparked a wider debate about free speech, academic freedom, and the limits of public criticism in a democracy.
