NEW DELHI: A district court on Tuesday sent Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmoodabad to judicialcustody over his post on Operation Sindoor. The next date of hearing in the case is May 27.Mahmudabad was arrested on Sunday after two FIRs were filed against him. He had been granted two-day police custody based on a complaint by the Haryana state commission for women.In the post, he said: “Strategically, India has actually begun a new phase in terms of collapsing distinction between military and terrorist (non-state actors) in Pakistan. In effect, the response to any terrorist activity will invite a conventional response and so this puts the onus on the Pakistani military to make sure that it cannot hide any longer behind terrorists and non-state actors. In any case, the Pak military has used militarised non-state actors to destabilise the region for far too long while also claiming to be victims on the international stage.It has also used the same actors – some of whom were targeted in the recent strikes – to foment sectarian tension in Pakistan. Operation Sindoor resets all received notions of Indo-Pak relationships as the response to terrorist attacks will be met with a military response and removes any semantic distinction between the two. Despite this collapse, care has been taken by the Indian armed forces to not target military or civilian installations…”He clarified that his remarks were misinterpreted. He explained that his intention was to criticize war-mongering narratives and draw attention to civilian suffering during conflicts, while stressing the importance of safeguarding all Indian citizens, including minorities. He also expressed support for the Indian military’s restrained approach and condemned Pakistan’s use of terrorism.The arrest came after the Haryana women’s commission issued a notice over Mahmudabad’s social media posts, despite his clarification that his remarks were misinterpreted and were within his fundamental rights. His posts had raised concerns over the treatment of lynching victims and commented on media coverage involving Col Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh. His arrest drew strong criticism from students, colleagues, and political leaders. Students from his “Banish the Poets” course at Ashoka University issued a statement condemning the arrest, calling it a violation of academic freedom and the values he taught—reason, compassion, justice, and freedom of thought.
