NEW DELHI: The arrest of Dr Ali Khan Mahmudabad, an associate professor at Ashoka University, triggered widespread outrage in academic and political circles on Monday. Detained under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita for allegedly engaging in activities that threaten India’s sovereignty and unity, his arrest was condemned as a direct assault on academic freedom and dissent.
From faculty members at Delhi University and JNU to national student bodies including SFI, AISA and the Congress party, voiced their opinions and issued statements in solidarity with the professor, calling the charges politically motivated and deeply troubling in a democratic society.
The Democratic Teachers Front (DTF) issued an official statement that read, “The charges, initiated on the complaint of a BJP functionary, appear to be politically motivated, involving an attempt to misuse laws to silence voices that challenge majoritarian narratives of the ruling dispensation. Equally troubling are the baseless accusations by the Haryana Women’s Commission, which seems to deliberately misrepresent Dr. Mahmudabad’s nuanced commentary that seeks to locate the role of women officers within the larger context of the current political conjuncture as “disparagement”.
Echoing the similar opinion, Surajit Mazumdar, President of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Teacher Association (JNUTA) said, “Any reasonable reading of the statements made by Dr. Khan in the process, which are available publicly, would make it crystal clear that there is absolutely nothing in them to substantiate any allegation that he undermined the dignity of women or was promoting communal disharmony; or that he said anything that was unconstitutional and endangered the country’s sovereignty and integrity.”
Despite repeated calls and text messages, the Vice Chancellor of the University Somak Raychaudhury did not respond instead the Varsity shared an official statement saying, “We have been made aware that Prof. Ali Khan Mahmudabad has been taken into police custody earlier today. We are in the process of ascertaining details of the case. The University will continue to cooperate with the Police and local authorities in the investigation, fully.”
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also condemned the arrest of Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad, calling it evidence of the BJP’s fear of dissenting views. He reaffirmed Congress’s support for intellectuals and criticized the misuse of state machinery for harassment, trolling, and unlawful arrests of individuals with differing opinions.
“His only mistake is that he wrote this post. His other mistake is his name,” Congress’ media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said. He further said that this is the state of New India under the Modi government.