Indian police have arrested Ali Khan Mahmudabad, a prominent Muslim academic and head of the political science department at Ashoka University, over social media posts criticizing India’s recent conflict with Pakistan. Mahmudabad, 42, was detained at his home in Delhi and transferred to a police station in Haryana, where he was remanded into custody for two days of questioning. No formal charges have been filed against him yet.

Mahmudabad’s arrest followed complaints by Renu Bhatia, chair of the Haryana Women’s Commission, and Yogesh Jatheri, a youth activist with India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The complaints accuse him of “public mischief” and “endangering sovereignty, unity, and integrity” over posts that criticized the human cost of the conflict and referenced broader concerns about religious intolerance in India under the Modi government.

Widespread Condemnation from Academic and Political Circles

Colleagues and free speech advocates condemned the arrest, calling it a troubling sign for academic freedom in India. Maya Mirchandani, head of Ashoka’s department of media studies, described the arrest as part of a “witch-hunt,” while the opposition Indian National Congress decried the move as an attempt to stifle dissent. Mahmudabad’s lawyer, Nizam Pasha, has filed a petition with India’s Supreme Court, calling the detention illegal and politically motivated.

The arrest comes amid heightened nationalist sentiment following a four-day military conflict with Pakistan, during which the nuclear-armed neighbors exchanged air strikes and drone attacks. Indian officials have accused Pakistan of sponsoring the conflict, a charge Islamabad has denied while calling for an independent investigation into the escalation.