Ashoka University associate professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad was arrested on Saturday over his remarks regarding Operation Sindoor, the Indian military’s recent cross-border counterterrorism operation. His arrest follows a complaint filed by BJP Yuva Morcha leader Yogesh Jatheri in Haryana.
Who is Ali Khan Mahmudabad?
Ali Khan Mahmudabad, 42, is a political scientist, historian, writer, and poet currently serving as the Head of the Department of Political Science at Ashoka University, Sonipat.
Born on December 2, 1982, he is the son of Mohammad Amir Mohammad Khan—popularly known as Raja Saheb Mahmudabad—who waged a four-decade legal battle to reclaim ancestral property seized under the Enemy Properties Act. His grandfather, Mohammad Amir Ahmad Khan, was the last ruling Raja of Mahmudabad and a major financier of the Muslim League prior to India’s Partition.
Ali completed his early schooling at La Martiniere, Lucknow, and King’s College School in the UK before graduating from Winchester College in 2001. He later earned an MPhil and PhD in Historical Studies from the University of Cambridge. He also studied Arabic at the University of Damascus and has written extensively about the Middle East for publications including National Geographic.
Ali is married to the daughter of Haseeb Drabu, former Jammu and Kashmir finance minister, and briefly joined the Samajwadi Party in 2017.
What prompted Ali’s arrest?
Mahmudabad’s arrest came after the Haryana Women’s Commission took suo motu cognisance of his May 8 Facebook post that allegedly “disparaged women officers in the Indian Armed Forces” and promoted “communal disharmony.” In the post, he pointed to the irony of Hindutva supporters celebrating Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, who briefed the media after India’s strikes during Operation Sindoor.
My statement re the summons that I received from the Haryana State Women’s Commission.
The posts that were misunderstood and objected to can be accessed on my Facebook page. pic.twitter.com/U4rZrAXhFx
— Ali Khan Mahmudabad (@Mahmudabad) May 14, 2025
The operation was carried out on May 7 in response to the killing of 26 civilians in Pahalgam. Colonel Qureshi, along with Wing Commander Vyomika Singh and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, led the official press briefing.
Mahmudabad has said his remarks were misunderstood and labelled the summons and arrest as a form of “censorship and harassment.”
What did Ashoka University say about Ali’s arrest?
Ashoka University confirmed the arrest, stating it is cooperating with the authorities. The professor faces charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for inciting communal disharmony and sedition.
Criticism has also emerged over the manner of the arrest. Delhi University professor Apoorvanand claimed Ali was taken from Delhi to Haryana without a transit remand, calling for judicial intervention.
As of now, no further official comment has been made by the police.