Haryana Women’s Panel Issues Notice to Professor... ... India Returns To New Normal

The Haryana State Commission for Women has issued a notice to Ali Khan Mahmudabad, associate professor and head of the political science department at Ashoka University, for his remarks on Operation Sindoor, which the panel deemed "disparaging to women in the armed forces and promoting communal disharmony." The commission took suo motu cognisance of his public comments made around May 7, summoning him to appear before it. Chairperson Renu Bhatia said Mahmudabad did not appear, citing late intimation. His remarks, including criticism of media briefings by Colonel Sofia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh as "optics," drew strong condemnation from the panel for allegedly undermining the role of women officers and inciting communal unrest. Ashoka University clarified that Mahmudabad’s views were made in a personal capacity and do not reflect the institution’s stance, which stands firmly with the armed forces.