Colleagues of Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad have been taking turns in "rotating shifts" to accompany him inside the lockup of Rai police station in Sonipat.
Colleagues of Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad have been taking turns in "rotating shifts" to accompany him inside the lockup of Rai police station in Sonipat. The 42-year-old head of the political science department at Ashoka University has spent a night in custody since his arrest on Sunday morning and is slated to remain behind bars until his hearing resumes Tuesday afternoon.
The court has directed the police to provide immediate medical assistance in case of an emergency concerning Mahmudabad's wife, who is in the final stages of pregnancy.
Determined to ensure he does not endure this ordeal in isolation, over 10 faculty members have mobilized at the police station, providing him with essentials such as food and diabetic medication, which he requires due to his condition.
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“We’re coming here in shifts to ensure someone from the university is always with him. Around 10 faculty members have come to the police station to ensure Mahmudabad has access to basics like food and diabetes medicines. He wears a glucose monitor. The police are slow to respond to requests but are taking care of his medical needs. There has been no mistreatment,” a faculty member from Ashoka University told TOI on Monday.
Mahmudabad was arrested after an FIR was lodged against him under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including charges of "endangering India's sovereignty." The complaint, filed by Haryana State Women’s Commission chairperson Renu Bhatia, stemmed from the professor’s May 9 social media post on Operation Sindoor. The controversy deepened after Mahmudabad did not appear before the commission despite a summons on May 14.
However, he had issued a detailed clarification, asserting that his remarks were misinterpreted and emphasizing his intent was neither subversive nor anti-national.
Calculated harassment: Ashoka faculty slams professor's arrest
The Ashoka University faculty association termed the move “calculated harassment” and condemned it in unequivocal terms. Numerous voices across educational and intellectual circles have echoed the sentiment, pointing out that Mahmudabad’s post, far from being incendiary, had lauded the Indian Army, criticized war rhetoric, and supported the government’s stance against Pakistan.
“The comments made by Prof Ali, while seen as inappropriate by the complainant, do not warrant arrest in a democratic country. It is completely disproportionate to the alleged offence,” said a faculty member to TOI.
Bhatia’s complaint also accused the university of concealing Mahmudabad during the commission's visit on May 15. However, faculty members clarified that the visit coincided with the end-of-semester break — a time when professors are often away for research or family engagements. Mahmudabad, who lives in Delhi, commutes daily and was not present on campus for entirely routine reasons.
“His absence from campus was ‘normal for the end of the semester,’” a faculty member explained, adding that many professors were likely away during that period. “It was in no way an intentional attempt to evade the commission,” another added.
Legal arguments stretched nearly five hours at the local Sonipat court on Sunday. Police had sought a five-day remand, but the court approved only two.
“The police proposed investigating the matter in the professor’s local area of Lucknow, which the defence opposed,” said Kapil Dev Balyan, one of Mahmudabad’s lawyers.
Balyan also revealed that Mahmudabad faces two FIRs — No. 146 and 147. The first originates from a complaint by Yogesh Jatheri, a village sarpanch. He contended that the narrative was “manipulated and presented differently,” but refrained from further comment, citing the case’s sub judice status.
