Gurugram: The Haryana State Commission for Women has issued a notice to Ali Khan Mahmudabad, associate professor and head of the department of Political Science at Sonipat’s Ashoka University, taking suo motu cognisance of his remarks which, the Commission said, “disparaged women officers in the Indian Armed Forces and promoted communal disharmony”.
Responding to questions from ThePrint, Mahmudabad said Wednesday that the summons are based on a “gross misunderstanding and taken out of context”.
Ashoka University in a statement issued Wednesday said, “Comments made by a Faculty member on his personal social media pages do not represent the opinion of the university. These statements have been made by him independently in his individual capacity. Ashoka University and all members of the Ashoka community are proud of India’s armed forces and support them, unequivocally, in their actions towards maintaining national security. We stand in solidarity with the nation and our forces.”
The row involves a “series of statements” made by Mahmudabad in the wake of India’s Operation Sindoor on 7 May across social media and digital platforms. The operation gained special attention for the involvement of women officers Colonel Sofia Qureshi of Indian Army and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh of Indian Air Force, who held multiple media briefings last week.
Mahmudabad’s comments have drawn the commission’s ire for allegedly undermining the officers’ contributions, and attributing communal motives to the government and armed forces. The notice, issued Monday, accuses him of undermining the dignity of women in uniform, inciting communal distress, and violating ethical standards expected of university faculty. He has been summoned to appear before the commission Wednesday.
In a post on Facebook, which has been attached with the notice by the commission, Mahmudabad had written: “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.”
He described the press briefings featuring Officers Qureshi and Singh as “optics” that must translate to reality, warning that without grassroots change, it risked being “just hypocrisy”. The commission has interpreted these remarks as disparaging to the women officers and an attempt to vilify national military actions.
Mahmudabad had also written: “Civilians have always been impacted by war… So when you clamour for war or you call for a country to be wiped out then what exactly are you asking? For the genocide of an entire people?”
He had questioned the rhetoric of usage of phrases like “wipe them out” or “destroy them”, arguing that such language dehumanises entire communities and sows the seeds of destruction.
Acknowledging the strategic shift in India’s response to terrorism, he had described Operation Sindoor as a move to collapse the distinction between military and non-state actors in Pakistan, but had cautioned against mindless calls for war, saying, “War is brutal. The poor suffer disproportionately and the only people who benefit are politicians and defence companies.”
Renu Bhatia, chairperson of the commission, told ThePrint that the Commission has invoked its powers under Section 10(1)(f) and 10(1)(a) of the Haryana State Commission for Women Act, 2012, to take suo motu cognizance of Mahmudabad’s statements.
The notice lists six prima facie concerns: disparagement of women in uniform, including Qureshi and Singh; misrepresentation of facts through terms like “genocide” and “dehumanisation”; vilification of military actions against cross-border terrorism; potential incitement to communal unrest; violation of women’s dignity under the Constitution and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023; and breach of UGC ethical conduct regulations for faculty.
Mahmudabad holds a PhD and MPhil from the University of Cambridge, and an undergraduate degree in History and Political Science from Amherst College. He also studied Arabic at the University of Damascus.
A historian, political scientist, poet and columnist, Mahmudabad writes extensively on Muslim identity, secularism, and South Asian politics for publications, like The Indian Express and Inqilab, and is the author of Poetry of Belonging: Muslim Imaginings of India 1850-1950. On X, he actively engages in public discourse, sharing critiques on political and social issues.
On 11 May, in a post, Mahmudabad expressed his solidarity with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, who faced trolling on social media post the announcement of ceasefire with Pakistan, and wrote, “A black day for India when rabid, vicious trolls threatened the Foreign Sec and his family. Imagine the levels of hate + blind belief that these people won’t question ruling politicians but will target everyone else including distinguished diplomats.”
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‘Called for communal harmony’: Mahmudabad
In a detailed response to The Print’s email, Ali Khan Mahmudabad said Wednesday that the Haryana State Commission for Women’s summons over his social media posts “are based on a gross misunderstanding and taken out of context”.
“I firmly assert that the Commission has no jurisdiction in this matter, as my remarks were neither misogynistic nor contrary to women’s rights,” he said, adding that his posts celebrated the Indian armed forces’ choice of Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh for the Operation Sindoor press conference, which he termed a “powerful symbol of India’s unity in diversity”.
“I also applauded Right-wing supporters of Colonel Qureshi, urging them to show similar respect to ordinary Indian Muslims who face daily demonisation. My comments were a call for communal harmony and safeguarding lives, rooted in equality,” he said.
Adding, “As an academic, I have consistently praised the Indian armed forces for their measured approach in Operation Sindoor on May 6-7, 2025, which avoided civilian or military targets to prevent escalation. I’ve condemned Pakistan’s use of terrorists to destabilise the region, a tactic they’ve employed for too long, shifting the onus onto their military to act transparently.”
He went on to say, “My criticism has targeted certain civilians whose reckless warmongering and divisive rhetoric risk fueling hatred within India. These statements, informed by the high human cost of conflict, reflect my lifelong advocacy for peace and are in no way against women’s rights or protective laws.”
Mahmudabad also said that the Commission’s summons, “which fail to clarify how my posts violate women’s rights, represent an alarming overreach and a form of censorship that invents issues where none exist”.
Adding, “This misreading inverts the meaning of my words, undermining free expression and amounting to harassment.” Mahmudabad also said his academic record and collaborations with senior bureaucrats, military officers, and policymakers demonstrate his “commitment to India’s constitutional principles”.
“By exercising my right to free speech under Article 19(1)(a), I aimed to promote peace, applaud the armed forces, and critique those destabilizing our nation,” he said. The academic also said he has full faith in the legal process, with his lawyers having represented him before the Commission on 14 May, “exposing the baseless nature of these allegations”.
“I reserve the right to pursue legal action against those making defamatory claims about my character or work,” he said, adding that his commitment remains to foster dialogue that strengthens India’s unity and integrity while advocating for a peaceful, inclusive society. “I will continue this work undeterred,” he said, ending his response with Jai Hind.
This is an updated version of the report
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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Ummah drives him and his ilk.
This professor is a repeat offender. Hailing from an erstwhile royal family, he studied at elite schools and colleges and now teaches at Ashoka University. The university harbours many such anti-India “intellectuals” such as Christophe Jaffrelot and others.
Under the guise of teaching political science and history, Mr. Mahmudabad engages in blatantly anti-Hindu propaganda. His tirades against Hinduism and the modern Indian nation (i.e. independent India) have been a hallmark of his academic/scholastic career.
Urge the Union government and the state government of Haryana to initiate strict action as per law against Mr. Mahmudabad.