Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad was arrested after making controversial social media comments about India’s ‘Operation Sindoor,’ the police confirmed on Sunday.
The arrest comes after a suo motu notice issued by the Haryana State Commission for Women against his remarks aimed at Army Colonel Sofia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh. The two officers had appeared in official media briefings early into Operation Sindoor: India’s military counter-moves to the Pahalgam terror attack, alongside Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.
The commission, in its notice, accused Mahmudabad of attempting to discredit the presence of women officers within the Indian Armed Forces and promoting communal discord with his comments. His remarks, the commission claimed, were ‘an attempt to vilify national military actions’.
Mahmudabad had referred to Col. Sofia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh’s attendance during the press briefing as ‘optics’ and ‘just hypocrisy’, eliciting criticism across political and public spheres.
On Facebook, as quoted in the notice of the commission, Mahmudabad posted, “I am glad to see so many right-wing pundits cheering on Colonel Sophia Qureishi but maybe they could do so just as loudly demand that the victims of mob lynching, random bulldozing and others who are victims of the hate mongering of the BJP be safeguarded as Indian citizens.”
Following the summons, Mahmudabad defied allegations of misogyny and contended that his messages were misunderstood. On X, he wrote, “The attached screenshots to the notice make it abundantly clear that my comments have been totally misinterpreted and that the Commission has no jurisdiction whatsoever in the matter. The Women’s Commission is an organ that plays a critical role; however, the subpoena that has been issued to me does not point out how my tweet is against the rights or legislation of women.”
The scandal continues to propel arguments regarding free speech, military presence, and political accountability on social media sites.
