'Stark violation' of academic freedom: Ashoka varsity students slam professor's arrest

Sonipat: After the faculty association of Sonipat-based Ashoka University, its students have termed the arrest of associate professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad a "stark violation" of not just academic freedom, but of the very principles he taught them and stood for.

The students also joined the call for his immediate release, terming Mahmudabad's arrest "wrongful".

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 posts 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".

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.