'Just optics': Haryana professor in trouble for questioning Operation Sindoor briefing by women officers

Prof Ali Khan Mahmudabad (courtesy: FB)

The Haryana State Commission for Women has issued a show-cause notice to Ali Khan Mahmudabad, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Political Science at Ashoka University, over social media remarks that it alleges “disparaged women officers in the Indian Armed Forces” and “promoted communal disharmony”.

On Wednesday, Mahmudabad did not appear before the Commission despite being summoned. “We had summoned him to appear today. We waited for the whole day, but he did not turn up. We received an email in which he stated that he was intimated late and therefore cannot come today,” Commission Chairperson Renu Bhatia was quoted by New Indian Express as saying.

The notice, served on Monday, follows the Commission’s suo motu cognisance of Mahmudabad’s posts following Operation Sindoor, a recent cross-border military operation conducted by India. His comments, made around May 7 on Facebook, questioned the “optics” of women officers leading the media briefing and linked national military narratives with issues such as mob lynchings and arbitrary demolitions.

In the now-controversial post, Mahmudabad had remarked that optics are important but optics must translate to reality on the ground otherwise it's just hypocrisy, in reference to the presence of Colonel Sophia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh during the official briefing. He further wrote that those celebrating the officers’ leadership should also demand justice for victims of mob violence and “arbitrary” bulldozing of homes.

The Commission, led by Bhatia, stated that his remarks “undermine the contributions of women officers” and potentially attribute “communal motives” to the government and the armed forces. The notice flags six areas of concern, including the alleged vilification of military actions, violation of constitutional values and breach of the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) ethical code of conduct for faculty, as per an Indian Express report.

Bhatia invoked the panel’s powers under Sections 10(1)(f) and 10(1)(l) of the Haryana State Commission for Women Act, 2012. The Commission also sought a written explanation in affidavit form, along with any documents Mahmudabad relied upon for his statements, a copy of his employment contract and Ashoka University’s faculty code of conduct.

Expressing disappointment at Mahmudabad’s absence, Bhatia was quoted by New Indian Express as saying, “We salute the country's daughters Col. Sophia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh. But the kind of words which a professor, who teaches political science to students, has used for them, I expected that he would at least present himself before the Commission today and express regret.”

Ashoka University has since distanced itself from Mahmudabad’s comments. In a public statement, it clarified: “The comments made by a faculty member on his personal social media pages do not represent the opinion of the university. These statements have been made by him independently in his individual capacity,”

The university further reiterated its support for the armed forces: “Ashoka University and all members of the Ashoka community are proud of India’s armed forces and support them, unequivocally, in their actions towards maintaining national security. We stand in solidarity with the nation and our forces.”

Mahmudabad, a political scientist and historian with academic credentials from Cambridge and Amherst College, has not publicly commented further on the matter.