New Delhi: An open letter supporting political scientist Ali Khan Mahmudabad as well as demanding that the Haryana women’s commission retract its summons to him and apologise for ‘deliberately and maliciously slandering him’ has garnered over 1,200 signatures.Floated by historian and Mahmudabad’s colleague at Ashoka University Aparna Vaidik and Delhi University Hindi professor Apoorvanand, the letter dated Friday (May 16) said it is “preposterous” that “even praising the army, albeit while criticising those who clamour for war, can now invite such targeted harassment and attempted censorship”.The Haryana women’s commission has “shown how constitutionally protected freedom of speech continues to be under threat from forces that seek to spread hatred and destabilise India”, read the letter, which counts among its signatories filmmaker Anand Patwardhan, historians Ramachandra Guha and Romila Thapar, and economist Jayati Ghosh.Apart from demanding a revocation and an apology from the commission – which the letter said has “completely and it seems deliberately misread” those Facebook posts by Mahmudabad which it considered grounds for its notice – it also called on Ashoka University to stand by him “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”.Mahmudabad had in a Facebook post after the launch of Operation Sindoor denounced war hawks and wrote that while was pleased that some on the right wing ‘applauded’ Colonel Sofiya Qureshi – who had briefed the press about the operation – he felt they “perhaps … could also equally loudly demand that the victims of mob lynchings, arbitrary bulldozing and others who are victims of the BJP’s hate mongering be protected as Indian citizens”.“The optics of two women soldiers presenting their findings is importantly [sic] but optics must translate to reality on the ground otherwise it’s just hypocrisy,” he had added.“For me the press conference was just a fleeting glimpse – an illusion and allusion perhaps – to an India that defied the logic on which Pakistan was built.”In another post three days later Mahmudabad, who is also a member of the opposition Samajwadi Party, criticised the “blind bloodlust for war” amid ongoing hostilities between India and Pakistan.The Haryana women’s commission the next day issued notice to Mahmudabad, with screenshots of his posts attached, saying they appeared to indicate, among other things, disparagement of Colonel Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, incitement of communal unrest and an attack on national integrity.He responded by saying the commission had misread and misunderstood his posts to “such an extent that they have inverted their meaning, which invents issues where there are none” and called its move “a new form of censorship and harassment”.Ashoka in a statement distanced itself from Mahmudabad’s posts and said he had expressed his opinions in a personal capacity. “Ashoka University and all members of the Ashoka community are proud of India’s armed forces and support them unequivocally,” it said.Friday’s letter has been reproduced below.§Letter in Support of Prof. Ali Khan MahmudabadProfessor Ali Khan Mahmudabad is an associate professor and head of the Department of Political Science at Ashoka University (Haryana, India). He has recently been maliciously targeted by the Haryana State Women’s Commission about some posts he made on social media following the hostilities between India and Pakistan. (Links to his original posts are copied below.) Following the summons, it has been highly unfortunate that a large number of media houses have also chosen to distort and misquote him in order to malign his image and spread misinformation.The Commission has completely, and it seems deliberately, misread his posts and has accused him of “vilifying” India’s army, “violating dignity and outraging women’s modesty, disparaging women in uniform and attributing malicious communal intent to the Government of India and Indian Armed Forces as well as inciting communal distress and attempting to disturb internal peace.”From a bare reading of his original posts, it is clear that Prof. Khan praised the strategic restraint of the armed forces, analysed how any distinction between the terrorists or nonstate actors and the Pakistani military has now collapsed, and said that the optics of the women officers chosen for media debriefs was ‘important’ as proof that the secular vision of the founders of our Republic is still alive. He even applauded the Indian right wing for their support for Colonel Sofia Qureshi and invited them to also equally loudly oppose mob lynching and the bulldozing that Indian Muslims and others are frequently subjected to. Most importantly, he emphasized the importance of peace and pointed out that it is the poor who suffer disproportionately during conflict. Far from being misogynist or antinational, Prof. Khan’s posts are driven by a clear moral vision of what being a good citizen means and are actually the words of a true patriot who is concerned with the lives of both soldiers and citizens.Anyone acquainted with Prof. Khan knows that he has been engaging with and writing about issues of national, regional and international importance for many years. His knowledge of languages and his deep understanding of the social, political and religious landscape of India are reflected in his articles. His social and public work at the grassroots has always been concerned with bringing people together, and he has always advocated for resolving differences through dialogue. In his post titled The blind bloodlust for war!, Prof. Khan has used the Gita as well as instances from Islam to illustrate the moral conundrums of going into wars that are driven by egos, pride and self-interest.It is preposterous that we have come to such a pass in India that even praising the army, albeit while criticizing those who clamour for war, can now invite such targeted harassment and attempted censorship. Haryana has one of the highest rates of crimes against women in India, and we urgently need to focus on addressing violence and strengthening the rights of women rather than inventing offences where there are none. Crucially, neither does the Commission have the legal jurisdiction to issue this summons to Prof. Khan nor does keeping an eye on the issue of cross-border terrorism or UGC Codes of Conduct falls under its ambit. Indeed, there is a much stronger case for summoning those who have made rape threats against Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s daughter or against the Madhya Pradesh Minister who called Colonel Sofia Qureshi a sister of the Pakistanis. However, through its actions, the commission has shown how constitutionally protected freedom of speech continues to be under threat from forces that seek to spread hatred and destabilize India.We, the undersigned, demand that the Haryana State Women’s 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. We 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.Original Post 1 (dated 8 May 2025)Original Post 2 (dated 11 May 2025)1. A P Josy2. A.Suneetha3. Aadya4. Aahana Gupta5. Aakar Patel6. Aakshi Magazine7. Aali Dadhich8. Aalok Thakkar9. Aalokita Roy Chowdhury10. Aanchal Joshi11. Aanya Singh12. Aaqib Javid13. Aarohi14. Aarushi Raika15. Aarushi Ravi Shankar16. Aaryan Kumar17. Aashima Singh18. Aashnaa Shah19. Aayush20. Aayushi Singh21. Abbas Haider22. ABBAS HAIDER23. Abdul hannan24. Abdur Rahaman25. Abdurrahman Ansari26. Abeer27. Abha28. Abha Dev Habib29. Abhed Manocha30. Abhijit Patnaik31. Abhijith Mohammed32. Abhik Pal33. Abhishek Panchal34. Abhishek Singh35. Abu Osama36. Achintya37. achyutha38. Ada Narula39. Adarsh Priyadarshi40. Adesh David Naidu41. Adhiraaj Ray42. Aditi43. Aditi Mehta44. Aditi Patel45. Aditi Rao46. 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