In his address to the nation after Operation Sindoor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged the unity displayed by the political class and civil society: “After this terrorist attack, the entire nation, every citizen, every community, every class, every political party, unitedly spoke in one voice for strong action against terrorism.” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, the nation’s calm, diplomatic voice, flagged Pakistan’s “unfamiliarity” with Indian citizens criticising their own government, “the hallmark of any open and functioning democracy.” The arrest of academic Ali Khan Mahmudabad is jarringly at odds with the underlining by the PM of a common ground in the face of a shared threat — in fact, by treating criticism of the government as a crime against the state, it shrinks the common ground the PM lauded, and sends out a chilling signal that will gag many a much-needed debate.
Mahmudabad, who heads the Department of Political Science at Ashoka University and has been a national spokesperson for the Samajwadi Party, was attacked by the Haryana State Commission for Women (HSCW) last week. This was for a post referring to Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, who along with Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, led the joint MEA and MoD briefings on Operation Sindoor. He wrote of the optics of the two women soldiers being “important” but also expressed concern that “optics” could become “hypocrisy” if they not translate into ground-level reality: “… victims of mob lynchings, arbitrary bulldozing and others who are victims of the BJP’s hate-mongering be protected as Indian citizens…”, he wrote. The post framed a legitimate point of view, expressed bracingly. In the same post, Mahmudabad wrote that the press conference also shows that “an India, united in its diversity, is not completely dead as an idea.” For the HSCW to accuse Mahmudabad of “disparaging women officers” and for the Haryana Police to arrest him after a complaint by a member of the BJP’s youth wing, on charges that include inciting rebellion and hurting religious feelings, is outrageous -– and wrong.
Mahmudabad’s arrest is a disturbing message in a fraught moment. At one end, in a display of extreme prejudice, a minister in the BJP government in MP calls Colonel Qureshi the “sister” of terrorists, and draws censure from the court — but not from his party. On the other end, the Modi government at the Centre is reaching out, across the aisle — three of the seven all-party teams set to make India’s case against Pak-sponsored terrorism to the global community, are led by Opposition leaders. It is now for the judiciary to protect Mahmudabad. And for Haryana Police to recall that it’s meant to protect citizens, not become a force they need protection from, as they exercise their constitutionally guaranteed right to free speech. In an open democracy, fear cannot enforce unity.
