“A New Form of Censorship and Harassment:” Prof. Ali Khan Summoned by The Haryana Women’s Commission for Facebook Post

On Thursday, 8th May 2025, Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad, Head of Department and Associate Professor of Political Science and History at Ashoka University, published a Facebook post regarding India’s Operation Sindoor and the current India-Pakistan conflict. On Monday, 12th May 2025, Khan received a summons from the Haryana State Commission for Women (HSCW) on the basis that his post “disparaged women officers in the Indian Armed Forces and promoted communal disharmony.” 

In his post, he had written that he was “very happy” to see Colonel Qureishi praised by right-wing commentators, appreciating women — especially Muslim — being seen in high positions of national service. However, he also wanted them to advocate for the protection of “the victims of mob lynchings, arbitrary bulldozing and others who are victims of BJP’s hate mongering”, criticising how right-wing commentators were willing to praise tokenistic representation while ignoring the harsh daily realities Indian Muslims face in their lives. 

The HSCW issued the summons after taking suo motu cognisance (used to file a motion without a formal complaint from an external party) under Sections 10 (1) (f) and 10 (1) (a) of the Haryana State Commission for Women Act, 2012. The notice underlined six concerns:

1. Disparaging women in uniform,

2. Misusing terms like “genocide” and “dehumanisation,”

3. Denigrating military action against cross-border terrorism,

4. Threatening communal unrest,

5. Violating women’s dignity under the Constitution and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (criminal law replacing IPC),

6. Breaching the University Grants Commission’s ethical guidelines for faculty.

The notice stated that a “failure to appear within the directed time period, without sufficient cause”, would “attract appropriate action”. Khan, set to appear before the Commission in Panchkula at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, 14th May 2025, reportedly did not make it on account of receiving the notice very late. Renu Bhatia, Chairperson of the HSCW, claimed this to be “a mere excuse to avoid appearance.” However, in a statement regarding this, he wrote, “My lawyers have submitted my detailed reply to these summons and have represented me in front of the Commission today, 14 May 2025.” 

He added that his remarks have been “completely misunderstood” by the Commission, whose summons also “fail[s] to highlight how [his] post is contrary to the rights of or laws for women.” He clarified further that his post applauded right-wing supporters of Colonel Qureshi and only asked them to lend the same support to common Indian Muslims who faced “demonisation and persecution on a daily basis” which was simply an exercise of his “fundamental right to freedom of thought and speech in order to promote peace and harmony.” Khan claimed their actions to be “a new form of censorship and harassment” and said he has full faith in the legal process and his constitutional rights. In an interview with The Wire, he said he had also been misquoted by “legacy media” that “cherry picked” his posts and disparaged him.

According to a Hindustan Times article*, Ashoka University has distanced itself from his views on account that they have been made by him individually in his independent capacity. “Ashoka University and all members of the Ashoka community are proud of India’s armed forces and support them unequivocally,” it added. 

In response to this, through an Instagram post, the United Students’ Front, an independent students’ collective at Ashoka University, declared their support for Khan and went on to condemn Ashoka’s stance on the matter, adding that they were “deeply concerned” that the University was yet again abandoning its professors in “times of crises” to “avoid ‘controversies’ and maintain a ‘neutral’ stance in the media.” They saw the summons as “a deliberate attempt… to profile and suppress voices that speak against the ongoing war and its repercussions on innocent civilians.” 

Bhatia claimed Khan’s statements to be “highly shameful”, insisting he had “no love for the country.” She questioned what he would teach his students and that “if he could say this about them, what about the girls of the university?” However, Khan’s statement received support from peers and colleagues including Ravindran Sriramachandran, Head of Department and Associate Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at Ashoka University, and Advocate Aslam Nadwi. 

In a Facebook post, Sriramachandran wrote that Khan offered a “nuanced” commentary and that “when state institutions begin to equate disagreement with sedition, or critique with disloyalty, they do more damage to democratic institutions than any enemy across the border could hope to inflict…The role of an academic is not to echo state narratives but to interrogate them when needed — especially when the cost of silence is borne by the most vulnerable.”

On Thursday, 15th May 2025, Apoorvanand, Professor of Hindi at the University of Delhi, and Aparna Vaidik, Professor of History at Ashoka University, wrote a letter in support of Khan who was, according to them, “maliciously targeted” by the HSCW for “criticizing those who clamor for war”.

The letter asks for endorsements from other supporters and demands that the Commission “retract its summons and issue a full and public apology to Prof. Ali Khan Mahmudabad for the manner in which it has deliberately and maliciously slandered him.” They also call on Ashoka University “to stand by its faculty member, especially during this time when he has done nothing except carry out his duties as a teacher, a citizen and a person who believes in harmony and peace.” It has received over 900 signatories as of the writing of this article.

*The Edict has reached out to Ashoka University for a full copy of its official statement since it is not available on the university’s website or social media handles as of now. We will update the story as and when we receive a response from them.