Thin Skin of 'Patriotism'

Neither the arrest of Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad nor his bail is an unfamiliar story in today's highly polarised India where even pivotal institutions are struggling to maintain the balance which is expected of them.

- 

The Supreme Court, on Wednesday, granted interim bail to the Ashoka University academic, but declined to halt investigations into his social media posts—citing that Khan has not made out any case for stay on investigation. Cases like this are a litmus test for the nature of democratic discourse prevailing in the country, and for the broader endeavour of finding the fine balancing line between national integrity and freedom of expression.

In his social media posts, Professor Mahmudabad—who can safely be said to be a political scientist and public intellectual—expressed his opinion on India's military response to Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack. His posts, evidently or apparently, condemned war, acknowledged India's right to retaliate against terrorism, and praised the inclusion of women officers in the military's media briefings. However, at the same time, he warned against tokenism and hypocrisy in nationalist discourse. For this, he now stands accused under multiple grave sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including those relating to sedition-like offences, public mischief, and even insulting the modesty of women.