Ashoka University Professor Arrested After Calling Operation Sindoor Briefings ‘Optics and Hypocrisy’

Ashoka University associate professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad was arrested in Delhi for a tweet criticizing the public rhetoric regarding Operation Sindoor, the Indian military action against Pakistan in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack. In his blog entry, Mahmudabad questioned the universal acclaim for Colonel Sofia Qureishi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, who provided media briefings on the operation, and labeled the adulation as "optics" and "just hypocrisy" unless completed with real change. He dared right-wing commentators to advocate for justice for victims of mob lynching and arbitrary demolitions as well and stated that real change would require more than gestures.

 

His remarks were deemed denigrating to women. in uniform and of incivility to communal peace by Haryana State Commission for Women, who filed a notice before his arrest. Mahmudabad maintains that his words were misinterpreted and are only injurious to those who do not want to take blame, and not out of disrespect.

 

Source: Hindustan Times, Times of India, India Today