SONIPAT: Students of Ashoka University has come forward supporting their professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad, terming his arrest as a stark violation" of not just academic freedom, but of the very principles he taught them and stood for.
Teachers from different universities have also come out in support.
Ali Khan Mahmudabad, an associate professor at the Sonipat-based university, was arrested for his social media posts on Operation Sindoor.
The students also joined the call for his immediate release, terming Mahmudabad's arrest "wrongful".
A Sonipat court on Tuesday sent Mahmudabad to judicial custody till May 27.
Haryana Police arrested Mahmudabad, the head of Ashoka University's political science department, on Sunday after two FIRs were registered against him, alleging his social media post on Operation Sindoor endangered the sovereignty and integrity of the country.
The FIRs were lodged at the Rai police station in Sonipat district -- one based on a complaint by the chairperson of Haryana State Commission for Women, Renu Bhatia, and the other on a complaint by a village sarpanch.
On Sunday, the faculty association of Ashoka University condemned Mahmudabad's arrest and demanded his immediate release.
Coming out in support of Mahmudabad, the students of the varsity said in a statement on Monday, "We, the students of the course 'Banish the Poets', stand firmly united and in solidarity with our professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad."
Throughout the course, professor Khan lectured on love, consistently emphasising secular values such as reason, compassion, justice and freedom of thought as the foundations for meaningful dialogue.
"His wrongful arrest is a stark violation of not just academic freedom, but of the very principles he taught us and stood for. Mahmudabad emphasised the power of the written word and encouraged them to speak," the students said.
He encouraged us to share our truths, and to hold space for each other.
It was under his guidance and in the space created by his lectures that many of us felt emboldened to speak, share, write, enjoy and appreciate the safety and sanctity of that space.
"The principles of compassion, justice and freedom he believed in were not something he only taught or preached; he lived them, and in doing so, he helped us live them more truly," the statement said.
The students said Mahmudabad always taught them to question everything and form their own opinions.
He also taught us to never express disrespect towards our nation and its Constitution, they said in the statement, adding that Mahmudabad remained one of the most "articulate", "passionate" and "intelligent" educators they came across.
Calling Mahmudabad a "principled academic, a brilliant orator, a kind mentor and a brave academic", the students said, "We are beyond fortunate to have learnt from him. Earlier, the faculty association of the university in a statement strongly condemned Mahmudabad's arrest on "groundless and untenable charges".
Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers' Association (JNUTA) president Surajit Mazumdar said the arrest was an insult to the memory of those whose lives were lost in the recent military conflict between India and Pakistan.
Stressing that there was "absolutely nothing" in Mahmudabad's statements that violated the law, Mazumdar said, "If one individual's right can be infringed today, the same can happen to others."
"You (the government) take action against an innocent person. Even if the man gets bail tomorrow, the sufferings of that person and his family can not be justified. I demand the judiciary not only to see whether he can get bail, but also to hold those who use the law inappropriately accountable," Mazumdar said.
Ashoka University students' union president-elect Insha Hussain also echoed similar views and said they demand justice for their professor.
In a video message, RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha, also a faculty member in Delhi University's department of social work, said "Mahmudabad's arrest raises several questions. On one hand is a minister from Madhya Pradesh who makes vulgar and crass remarks and yet gets away. But our colleague from Ashoka University -- who stated facts and narrated incidents with a perspective -- was put behind bars. And we thought you were not closed for being open in a true democracy! It is time to show solidarity"
"It is time to tell our prime minister and the entire regime that while you send goodwill missions abroad, do not forget to spread the spirit of the same mission in India -- in our universities, in every village and in every city," Jha said.
Dhiraj Nite, a professor at the Ambedkar University Delhi, said that rationalist human beings "are at the receiving end" in the country.
"We demand protection for freedom of expression and speech. We also wish for peace to flourish in both countries," he said.
The Congress, CPI(M), AIMIM and Trinamool Congress have also denounced the police action against Mahmudabad, who maintained that his comments were "misunderstood", asserting that he only exercised his fundamental right to freedom of speech.