Haryana women panel summons Ashoka Univ prof for remarks on Op Sindoor, woman officers

Mahmudabad had called the optics of the media briefing on Operation Sindoor by woman officers — Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh — important but said it would be “hypocrisy” if it didn’t translate to reality on the ground. The Commission has interpreted his remarks as “an attempt to vilify national military actions”.

In his post on Facebook, Mahmudabad also condemned ‟mob lynchings” and ‟arbitrary bulldozing”. He further decried war as ‟brutal” and said the poor suffer while ‟politicians and defence companies” benefit from it.

Renu Bhatia, the chairperson of the Commission, had invoked the panel’s powers under section 10 (1)(f) and 10 (1)(1) of the Haryana State Commission for Women Act, 2012, to take suo motu cognisance of Ali Khan Mahmudabad’s statements.

The notice lists six prima facie concerns: disparagement of women in uniform; 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 the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita; and breach of the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) ethical conduct regulations for faculty.

A historian, political scientist, and columnist, Ali Khan Mahmudabad holds a PhD and MPhil from the University of Cambridge, and an undergraduate degree in History and Political Science from Amherst College. He has also studied Arabic at the University of Damascus.

The Commission is of the view that his comments “undermine the woman officers’ contributions” and attribute communal motives to the government and armed forces. It has sought from him a written explanation of his statements in the form of an affidavit, any supporting materials or documents he relied upon to justify his remarks, a copy of the university’s Code of Conduct for Faculty, his employment contract, any other document as may be directed by the Commission or its office bearers.

The Commission also warned him that “failure to appear within the directed time period, without sufficient cause, will attract appropriate action under relevant Statutes and powers of the Commission”.

While the University refused to respond to questions put up by The Indian Express, Mahmudabad could not be reached for comments.