Ali Khan Mahmudabad is a poet, writer, historian, and political scientist. He is an Associate Professor and Head of the Political Science Department at Ashoka University in Sonipat, Haryana.
Ali Khan Mahmudabad was born on December 2, 1982, in Lucknow. His father, Mohammad Amir Mohammad Khan, known as Raja Saheb Mahmudabad, passed away in October 2023 after a 40-year legal fight to reclaim family property taken under the Enemy Properties Act.
Ali’s grandfather, Mohammad Amir Ahmad Khan, was the last ruling Raja of Mahmudabad and a major supporter of the Muslim League before India’s Partition.
Ali Khan Mahmudabad was arrested in Delhi on Sunday, May 18, 2025, due to his social media comments about Operation Sindoor, India’s recent military strikes on nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The arrest came after a complaint by Yogesh Jatheri, a BJP Yuva Morcha leader. Mahmudabad’s controversial posts were made on May 8, 2025, one day after the strikes.
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On May 8, 2025, Ali Khan Mahmudabad posted about Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, who gave media briefings for the Indian Army on the Operation Sindoor strikes.
He questioned the excitement around her role, warning that celebrating women officers’ visibility is “mere hypocrisy” unless it leads to real change. He criticized the “blind bloodlust for war” and highlighted the human suffering caused by armed conflict.
Ashoka University issued a statement: “We have been made aware that Prof Ali Khan Mahmudabad has been taken into police custody earlier today. We are in the process of ascertaining details of the case. The University will continue to cooperate with the police and local authorities in the investigation, fully.”
