Ali Khan Mahmudabad was sent to police custody for two days on Sunday after a court rejected the police’s plea to keep him in custody for seven days for investigation. The court also ordered the seizure of his laptop and other devices.The court delivered its order at 8 pm on Sunday, ending a long day that had begun with Mahmudabad’s arrest by the Haryana police from his home in Delhi at around 7 am that morning.This arrest was made following an FIR registered at the Rai police station in Sonipat at 8 pm the previous night – Saturday night. The FIR was filed by a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) official.First, we must pay attention to the promptness of the police. A report is registered at 8 pm at night and, within no time, the very next morning, the police are standing at the door of the “accused” in another state. Have you generally seen this level of promptness by the Indian police in any crime case? Is it even so easy to get an FIR registered in Indian police stations?This action by the police early Sunday morning carries another meaning. It was not possible to approach any court for relief or to stop the arrest because it was a Sunday. It meant that Mahmudabad would remain in custody for at least one full day. That is the pleasure the Indian police take in depriving people of their liberty.Yes, there was an FIR. What the police could have done was summon Mahmudabad for interrogation by serving a warrant. Instead, they decided to arrest him.Mahmudabad was taken to Haryana from Delhi, a different state. Lawyers monitoring the Haryana police’s action told this writer that the cops did so without obtaining a transit remand, which courts including the Supreme Court have noted is required by law. This made the police action a form of kidnapping – an illegal act.But how does that matter to the police? Indians across nearly all states are familiar with such illegal actions of the police and have often been victims of them. Then why should Mahmudabad expect different treatment? Should he be placed on a higher pedestal just because he is a professor at Ashoka University, an elite institution? Also, has he forgotten that he is a Muslim?Also read: BJP Jails Professor for Exposing its HypocrisyOne FIR against Mahmudabad mentions that a BJP leader claimed to have been deeply hurt by something Mahmudabad said or wrote about “Operation Sindoor”. The Sonipat police found the complaint valid and justified. That explains their decision to invoke against Mahmudabad provisions relating to outraging religious feelings, spreading disharmony or hatred among different groups, disrupting national unity and even endangering the sovereignty of the nation under Section 152 of the BNS, which points to sedition.How could Mahmudabad be allowed to remain free after committing such serious offenses? So, without delay, the police rushed to his house in Delhi and arrested him.In the past week, people have searched for what Mahmudabad said that upset the BJP functionary. It has now been widely shared on various social media platforms. Mahmudabad posted his views on Facebook after Operation Sindoor. The part that angered the BJP leader reads:“I am very happy to see so many right-wing commentators applauding Colonel Sophia Qureishi, but perhaps they could also equally loudly demand that the victims of mob lynchings, arbitrary bulldozings, 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 important, but optics must translate into reality on the ground; otherwise, it’s just hypocrisy.”What in this post has the potential to incite hatred between communities or hurt the sentiments of any religious group?Further, Mahmudabad wrote:“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. As I said, the grassroots reality that common Muslims face is different from what the government tried to show. But at the same time, the press conference shows that an India, united in its diversity, is not completely dead as an idea.”What in this comment threatens India’s sovereignty? And how can anyone, if they are reasonable, conclude that these comments are seditious?However, those who know the Indian state will pity you for expecting reason or sensibility from the police.But it wasn’t only the BJP official who was offended. A few days ago, the chairperson of the Haryana Women’s Commission accused Mahmudabad of insulting two women – Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh – who served as spokespersons for the Indian forces, and the state with his comment.She was so enraged that she held a formal press conference and demanded that Ashoka University sack Mahmudabad immediately. She also summoned him. His lawyers approached the commission and clarified the meaning of his comments, but it failed to douse her anger. She also lodged a complaint, alongside the one filed by the BJP official, alleging that he violated the modesty of women through his remarks.What Mahmudabad wrote has been echoed by countless others over the past three to four weeks. People were shocked when they saw a Muslim official on stage representing India. Can a Muslim serve as a spokesperson for India under this regime? The appointment was considered so extraordinary that everyone took note of it.Many praised the government. While hailing this move, numerous people felt that this symbolism must be transformed into reality – Muslims should be able to live with dignity in India, the ability to do which they have gradually lost over the past 11 years.That’s all Mahmudabad had said. Yet, his statement is being treated as a crime by the police. There is only one reason for this: Mahmudabad is a Muslim. Being a Muslim in India today seems like a crime in itself. A Muslim becomes even more dangerous when he thinks independently and dares to express those thoughts. If you are a Muslim, how can you express your views?If you are a Muslim, you may have the right to breathe – but even that is not guaranteed. What is certain is that you do not have the right to express your opinions freely.Mahmudabad’s arrest or attack should be viewed in the context of the state’s treatment of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Khalid Saifi, Ishrat Jahan, Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Siddique Kappan and dozens of other Muslim activists and intellectuals over the past decade.There is another reason behind the targeting of Mahmudabad, and that should be stated plainly: he is a Muslim and also part of the societal elite. Photo: X/@mahmudabad.A Muslim’s words are not enough to save him. As one court said in Umar Khalid’s case, since he is educated and intelligent, he must not have truly meant what he said. The courts assume they understand the inherently seditious nature of Muslim minds.There is another reason behind the targeting of Mahmudabad, and that should be stated plainly: he is a Muslim and also part of the societal elite. He studied abroad, speaks multiple languages, teaches at a prestigious university and comes from a Nawab family. By persecuting him, the Muslim community receives a clear message: no elite will be allowed to enjoy privileges based on class or social status.Muslims can proudly claim Mahmudabad as their representative. Not that he sees himself as one. He would like to be known for his free thoughts and be a leader for everyone. Does he teach only Muslim students? Does his readership consist only of Muslims? But we know that Hindus generally don’t give this right to a Muslim. So, he is destined to be called a Muslim intellectual or leader.Perhaps that is precisely why he must suffer. In recent years, we’ve seen local Muslim leaders arrested, their homes bulldozed and a relentless campaign to silence Muslims entirely and render them leaderless. The latest target and victim is Mahmudabad.Over the past week, people have repeatedly said there is nothing objectionable in Mahmudabad’s comments. They’re right – and we must present this to the courts. But that is not the real issue. Mahmudabad’s arrest is a threat not only to him but to all Muslim intellectuals. The signal is clear: they have the right to free expression in only one case – to praise the government. One word of doubt or criticism, and freedom ceases.A Muslim with a free mind cannot be allowed to remain free.His arrest also reveals another truth: Muslims are now under a two-pronged attack – from ordinary citizens like the BJP functionary and from state institutions like the Haryana Women’s Commission. These forces aim to surround, attack and disable the Muslim community.I don’t know why, but Mahmudabad’s arrest reminded me of 2002. I recalled yet another intellectual, Ehsan Jafri, a former MP and Muslim leader, who lived in Gulbarg Society in Ahmedabad.Muslims flocked to his home, believing his stature would protect them. But he himself was dragged out of his elite sanctuary and hacked to death by a Hindutva mob. Eyewitnesses reported that amid the frenzy, Jafri called the then-chief minister – only to be told, ‘How are you still alive?’This is what Muslims are being asked today: ‘How are you still alive?’ The proof of life in a democracy is the right to speak freely. Mahmudabad’s arrest means that the democratic voice of Muslims has been silenced.Will we remain silent in the face of this political campaign aimed at rendering Muslims voiceless?Apoorvanand teaches Hindi at Delhi University.