Ali Khan Mahmudabad, an Associate Professor at Ashoka University, has been arrested following remarks he made regarding press briefings on Operation Sindoor.
Mahmudabad’s lawyer confirmed the arrest, which was based on a complaint filed by a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s youth wing.
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Earlier, the Haryana State Commission for Women sent a notice mentioning that the panel has taken suo motu cognisance of the “public statements/remarks” made “on or about May 7” by Ali Khan Mahmudabad, an associate professor and the head of the political science department of the Ashoka University in Sonipat.
“…I am surprised that the Women’s Commission, while overreaching its jurisdiction, has misread and misunderstood my posts to such an extent that they have inverted their meaning,” said Ali Khan Mahmudabad, the head of political science department of Ashoka University in Sonipat, in a public statement posted on microblogging site X.
What did Mahmudabad say?
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, ANI reported.
The Women’s Commission said an initial review of Mahmudabad’s remarks has raised concerns about the “disparagement of women in uniform, including Col. Sophia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh and undermining their role as professional officers in the Indian Armed Forces”.
Wing Commander Vyomika Singh briefed the media last week alongside Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Colonel Sofia Qureshi on Operation Sindoor.
Who is Ali Khan Mahmudabad?
Ali Khan Mahmudabad is a historian, political scientist, and columnist. He holds a PhD and MPhil from the University of Cambridge, and an undergraduate degree in history and political science from Amherst College.
I am surprised that the Women’s Commission… has misread and misunderstood my posts to such an extent that they have inverted their meaning.
He has also studied Arabic at the University of Damascus.
(This is a developing story)