New Delhi – Indian National Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has strongly condemned the arrest of Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad, calling it a blatant attempt by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to suppress dissenting voices. Mahmudabad, an associate professor of Political Science, was arrested by the Haryana Police on Sunday, May 18, over his social media posts commenting on Operation Sindoor, India’s military strikes conducted on May 7 in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives. Kharge’s remarks have intensified the ongoing debate over freedom of expression, communal harmony, and the selective application of law in India.

In a strongly worded post on X, Kharge expressed solidarity with the armed forces, bureaucrats, academics, and intellectuals, stating, “The Indian National Congress stands with our Armed Forces, bureaucrats, academicians, intellectuals, and their families. I condemn any character assassination, vilification, trolling, harassment, unlawful arrest of any individual, and vandalism of any business entity, either through fringe elements or through official state machinery.”

He further criticized the BJP, saying, “The arrest of Ashoka University professor, Ali Khan Mahmudabad, shows how fearful the BJP is of any opinion disliked by them. This follows a chain reaction which began from targeting the grieving widow of our martyred Naval officer, our Foreign Secretary and his daughter, and the deplorable disparaging comments made by a BJP Minister for a serving Colonel in the Indian Army.”

Kharge accused the BJP of shielding its own leaders while targeting critics, specifically pointing to the lack of action against Madhya Pradesh’s Deputy Chief Minister and Tribal Affairs Minister Vijay Shah, who made derogatory remarks against Colonel Sofiya Qureshi. He added, “Instead of sacking their own Madhya Pradesh’s Deputy CM & Minister, who made disgusting statements against our valiant Armed Forces, BJP-RSS is hellbent on casting a narrative that anybody who represents Pluralism, questions the government, or simply performs his professional duty in the service of the nation, is a threat to its existence.”

Emphasizing the Congress party’s commitment to national unity, Kharge clarified, “Supporting the Armed Forces and the government, when National Interest reigns supreme, does not mean that we cannot question the Government. While National Unity is supreme for the Congress party, BJP should be under no impression that it can foster Dictatorship under the garb of the present developments. Democracy should stand tall.”

Background of the Case

Ali Khan Mahmudabad, a 42-year-old Cambridge-educated political scientist, historian, and poet, was arrested from his Delhi residence by the Haryana Police on May 18, 2025, following a complaint by Yogesh Jatheri, the general secretary of BJP’s Yuva Morcha in Haryana and sarpanch of Jatheri village. The First Information Report (FIR), filed on May 17, charged Mahmudabad under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for allegedly inciting armed rebellion, insulting religious beliefs, disturbing communal harmony, and under Section 152 for “acts endangering sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India.” Additionally, sedition charges were invoked. A separate FIR was filed by Renu Bhatia, Chairperson of the Haryana State Commission for Women, who took suo motu cognizance of Mahmudabad’s posts, alleging they were derogatory toward women officers in the armed forces and promoted communal disharmony.

Mahmudabad’s May 8 post on X and Facebook praised the strategic restraint of Operation Sindoor, which targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir while avoiding civilian and military installations to prevent escalation. He wrote, “The message is clear: if you don’t deal with your terrorism problem, then we will!” However, he also criticized war-mongering, stating that wars disproportionately harm the poor and benefit only politicians and defense industries. He lauded Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, who briefed the media on the operation, as symbols of India’s unity in diversity but called out the “hypocrisy” of right-wing commentators who praised Qureshi while ignoring issues like mob lynchings and arbitrary bulldozing, which he linked to the BJP’s “hate-mongering.”

The Haryana State Commission for Women issued a summons to Mahmudabad on May 12, which he responded to on May 14, stating that the commission had “misread” his posts and “inverted their meaning.” He defended his remarks, emphasizing they were rooted in a commitment to communal harmony and safeguarding lives, and described the summons as a “new form of censorship and harassment.”

Supreme Court Intervention

On Monday, May 19, 2025, Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai agreed to an urgent hearing request made orally by senior advocate Kapil Sibal on behalf of Mahmudabad. Sibal argued that the professor’s arrest was based on “an entirely patriotic statement” and constituted a violation of his fundamental right to freedom of expression. The Chief Justice directed that the petition be listed for hearing on May 20 or 21. Mahmudabad was produced before a Sonipat court on Sunday evening, where he was sent to two days of police custody. His next hearing is scheduled for May 20 at 2 PM.