Women’s panel summons Ashoka University professor for remarks about Operation Sindoor press briefs

The Haryana State Commission for Women has summoned Ashoka University Associate Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad over his comments about the press briefings on Operation Sindoor, which the panel claimed “disparaged women officers in the Indian armed forces and promoted communal disharmony”, The Indian Express reported.

Mahmudabad, the head of the university’s political science department, was directed to appear before the commission on Wednesday.

In a social media post on May 8, Mahmudabad had highlighted the apparent irony of Hindutva commentators praising Colonel Sofia Qureshi.

“Perhaps they could also equally loudly demand that the victims of mob lynchings, arbitrary bulldozing and others who are victims of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s hate mongering be protected as Indian citizens,” he had said.

Mahmudabad had said that the optics of the press briefings by Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh were important, “but optics must translate to reality on the ground otherwise it’s just hypocrisy”.

The “grassroots reality” faced by Muslims was “different from what the government tried to show”, but the press briefings showed that “an India, united it its diversity, is not completely dead as an idea”, he said.

In a separate post on Sunday, he said: “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?”

‘Completely misunderstood’: Mahmudabad

Mahmudabad stated on Wednesday evening that he had submitted a response to the summons and was represented by his lawyers before the commission earlier in the day.

He also stated that his remarks were “completely misunderstood” and that the notice issued by the women’s commission failed to highlight how his posts were “contrary to the right of or laws for women”.

“Contrary to the allegations, my posts appreciated the fact that the armed forces chose Colonel Sofia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh for the press conference to highlight the fact that the dream of the founders of our Republic, of an India which is unified in its diversity, is still very much alive,” he said.

Mahmudabad added: “If anything, my entire comments were about safeguarding the lives of both citizens and soldiers. Furthermore, there is nothing remotely misogynistic about my comments that could be construed as anti-women.”

The associate professor also said that he was surprised the women’s commission had “misread and misunderstood” his posts, while “overreaching its jurisdiction”.

Commission alleges disrespect

On May 8, while saying that Operation Sindoor represented a strategic shift in India’s approach to fighting terrorism – blurring lines between Pakistan’s military and non-state actors – Mahmudabad cautioned against war-mongering.

“The poor suffer disproportionately and the only people who benefit are politicians and defence companies,” he had added.

The state women’s commission raised six concerns about Mahmudabad’s social media posts, including alleged disrespect towards women officers, vilification of military action on terrorism, misrepresentation of facts, incitement of communal unrest, violation of women’s dignity and breaching ethical standards laid down by the University Grants Commission, The Indian Express reported.

The commission claimed that the associate professor’s comments undermine the role of women in the armed forces and suggest that there were communal motives behind military actions.

Mahmudabad was asked to submit a written explanation, relevant documents to support his claims, a copy of the university’s code of conduct and his faculty contract.

“Failure to appear within the directed time period, without sufficient cause, will attract appropriate action under relevant statutes and powers of the commission,” the panel warned.

Mahmudabad has not yet responded to Scroll’s request for comment on the matter.

In a social media post on Sunday, Mahmudabad had also condemned the abusive messages and comments targeting Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and his family after he announced that India and Pakistan had agreed to stop the four-day conflict.

Tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad had escalated on May 7 when the Indian military carried out strikes – codenamed Operation Sindoor – on what it claimed were terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The strikes were in response to the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which killed 26 persons on April 22.

The Pakistan Army retaliated to Indian strikes by repeatedly shelling Indian villages along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. At least 22 Indian civilians and eight defence personnel were killed.

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