Over 1,000 academics, students, and intellectuals from across India and abroad have signed a letter of solidarity with Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad, following his arrest on Sunday, May 18. The political scientist and historian was taken into custody over a social media post that criticised right-wing hypocrisy in lauding Muslim representation in the armed forces while ignoring state violence and mob lynchings against Mulsims.
Mahamudabad has been booked under sections 152 (acts that endanger India's sovereignty, unity and integrity), 353 (statements conducing to public mischief) and 79 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
In his Facebook post, Mahmudabad wrote, “I am very happy to see so many right-wing commentators applauding Colonel Sophia Qureishi, but perhaps they 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 optics of two women soldiers presenting their findings is important, but optics must translate to reality on the ground, otherwise it’s just hypocrisy.”
Mahamudabad was arrested based on a complaint by Yogesh Jatheri, general secretary of the BJP’s state Yuva Morcha and sarpanch of Jatheri village.
In addition, the Haryana State Women’s Commission had earlier accused Mahmudabad of “vilifying” the Indian Army and “outraging the modesty of women in uniform,” claiming his remarks disrespected women officers by questioning the sincerity of their representation in national institutions.
Full text below:
Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad is an associate professor and head of the Department of Political Science at Ashoka University (Haryana, India). He has recently been maliciously targeted by the Haryana State Women’s Commission about some posts he made on social media following the hostilities between India and Pakistan.Following the summons, it has been highly unfortunate that a large number of media houses have also chosen to distort and misquote him in order to malign his image and spread misinformation.
The Commission has completely, and it seems deliberately, misread his posts and has accused him of “vilifying” India’s army, “violating dignity and outraging women’s modesty, disparaging women in uniform and attributing malicious communal intent to the Government of India and Indian Armed Forces as well as inciting communal distress and attempting to disturb internal peace”.
From a bare reading of his original posts, it is clear that Prof Khan praised the strategic restraint of the armed forces, 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.
He even applauded the Indian right wing for their support for Colonel Sofia Qureshi and invited them to also equally loudly oppose mob lynching and the bulldozing that Indian Muslims and others are frequently subjected to. Most importantly, he emphasised the importance of peace and pointed out that it is the poor who suffer disproportionately during conflict. 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.
Anyone acquainted with Prof Khan knows that he has been engaging with and writing about issues of national, regional and international importance for many years. His knowledge of languages and his deep understanding of the social, political and religious landscape of India are reflected in his articles. His social and public work at the grassroots has always been concerned with bringing people together, and he has always advocated for resolving differences through dialogue. In his post titled “The blind bloodlust for war!” Prof Khan has used the Gita as well as instances from Islam to illustrate the moral conundrums of going into wars that are driven by egos, pride and self-interest.
It is preposterous that we have come to such a pass in India that even praising the army, albeit while criticising those who clamour for war, can now invite such targeted harassment and attempted censorship. Haryana has one of the highest rates of crimes against women in India and we urgently need to focus on addressing violence and strengthening the rights of women rather than inventing offences where there are none.
Crucially, neither does the Commission have the legal jurisdiction to issue this summons to Prof Khan nor does keeping an eye on the issue of cross-border terrorism or UGC Codes of Conduct falls under its ambit.
Indeed, there is a much stronger case for summoning those who have made rape threats against Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s daughter or against the Madhya Pradesh Minister who called Colonel Sofia Qureshi a sister of the Pakistanis. However, through its actions, the commission has shown how constitutionally protected freedom of speech continues to be under threat from forces that seek to spread hatred and destabilize India.
We, the undersigned, demand that the Haryana State Women’s Commission retract its summons and issue a full and public apology to Prof Ali Khan Mahmudabad for the manner in which it has deliberately and maliciously slandered him. We also call on Ashoka University to stand by its faculty member especially during this time when he has done nothing except carry out his duties as a teacher, a citizen and a person who believes in harmony and peace.