Ashoka University faculty says 'invaluable' Professor Ali Khan's arrest 'groundless': All about the case

Ashoka University's head of the political science department, Ali Khan Mahmudabad, was put under arrest on Sunday after two FIRs were lodged against his social media posts on Operation Sindoor, his lawyer and police said.

Khan has been arrested under stringent charges, including endangering sovereignty and integrity, based on the FIRs lodged at the Rai police station in Sonipat, Haryana.

"Ali Khan Mahmudabad has been arrested in Delhi," Assistant Commissioner of Police, Rai, Ajeet Singh was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.

Here is everything you need to know about the arrest of Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad.

Who is Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad?

Ali Khan Mahmudabad is not only a faculty of the Ashoka University in Sonipat, he is a historian, poet, political scientist and a writer. Born in Lucknow on December, 2, 1982, Ali Khan is the son of Mohammad Amir Mohammad Khan, popularly known as Raja Saheb Mahmudabad.

After a brief period of doing his schooling at La Martiniere School in Lucknow, Khan went to England and studied at the King's College School till 1996. He graduated from Winchester College in 2001. He holds an MPhil and PhD degree from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom in Historical Studies.

Why are the charges against Ali Khan Mahmudabad?

A police official has said that the Ashoka University professor had two FIRs were lodged against him at the Rai police station in Sonipat – one based on a complaint from the chairperson of Haryana State Commission for Women, Renu Bhatia, and the other on the complaint of a village sarpanch.

“On the Commission chairperson's complaint, the FIR has been lodged against Prof Ali of Ashoka University under BNS sections 152 (acts endangering sovereignty or unity and integrity of India), 353 (statements conducing to public mischief), 79 (deliberate actions aimed at insulting the modesty of a woman) and 196 (1) (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion,” he said.

What led to the professor's arrest?

Ali Khan Mahmudabad has been arrested days after the women's commission in Haryana summoned him for his alleged comments on Facebook. The commission accused that the professor had “disparaged women officers in the Indian Armed Forces and promoted communal disharmony”, and took suo motu cognisance following the post on Operation Sindoor.

In one of the posts on May 8, Khan had pointed out the ‘irony’ of 'right wing' commentators praising Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, who had represented the India Army during media briefings regarding India's attack on terror outfits in Pakistan on May 7.

In the post, Khan had called out the 'blind bloodlust for war' and raised concerns over the human cost of armed conflict while stressing that the “optics of two women soldiers presenting their findings” after India’s military action was important but “optics must translate to reality on the ground otherwise it’s just hypocrisy.”

Ashoka University Faculty Association issues statement

Ashoka University Faculty Association on Sunday issued a statement regarding Khan's arrest, condemning the move and calling the charges ‘groundless’.

“The Faculty Association of Ashoka University strongly condemns the arrest of Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Political Science, on 18 May 2025, on groundless and untenable charges. We condemn the calculated harassment to which Professor Mahmudabad has been subjected,” it said.

The association said it stood in ‘full support’ of its colleague, alleging that he was not allowed necessary medicines during his transfer from New Delhi to Sonipat.

“We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Professor Mahmudabad and the dropping of all charges against him,” the association said.