Ashoka Co-Founder Reacts To Mahmudabad Row: 'Activism, Liberal Arts University Not Joined At The Hip'

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Last Updated:June 04, 2025, 10:43 IST

Sanjeev Bikhchandani pointed out that while the founders are criticised as "dirty filthy capitalists," they are the ones funding the institution.

Ashoka University co-founder Sanjeev Bikhchandani. (File Image)

Sanjeev Bikhchandani, co-founder and trustee of Ashoka University, has expressed concerns over growing “activism" within the institution, suggesting it has become a “headache" and hinting at the possibility of distancing himself from the university. His remarks came in an email response to an alumnus’s criticism regarding the university’s handling of Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad’s arrest.

In a candid email shared on an internal mailing list, Bikhchandani emphasised that activism is not an inherent component of a liberal arts education. He stated, “Activism and a Liberal Arts University are not joined at the hip. Ashoka is a Liberal Arts and Sciences University. Whether to be activists or not is a conscious choice people make." He further noted that his previous attempts to question the extent of activism at Ashoka were met with hostility, suggesting that some individuals have “captured the institution" and resist any challenge to their views.

Bikhchandani also highlighted the financial contributions of the university’s founders, pointing out that while they are often criticised as “dirty filthy capitalists," they are the ones funding the institution. He questioned the assumption that liberal arts education must be synonymous with activism, citing his own experience at a liberal arts and sciences college where activism was minimal, yet students thrived.

“In the past I have questioned the activism at Ashoka—each time, I have been pounced upon by the activists and their supporters, both within and outside Ashoka: students, faculty, activists, etc., saying that ‘if you are running a liberal arts university, then activism goes with the territory’, that ‘I am an arrogant owner’, that ‘dirty filthy capitalists don’t understand how a university runs’ (they somehow forget that the same capitalists are paying their salaries)," Bikchandani wrote.

Mentioning how he asked Google AI if all liberal arts universities are activist in nature, he wrote, “The fundamental point I am making is that activism at Ashoka is a choice and it does not go with the territory. You can be a great liberal arts university and not be activist. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar."

Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad, head of the Political Science Department at Ashoka University, was arrested on May 18, 2025, by Haryana Police over a social media post related to Operation Sindoor, India’s percision strike against terrorist bases in Pakistan and PoK. Mahmudabad had in his social media post praised India’s strategic doctrine and the outcome of Operation Sindoor, but criticised ‘symbolic optics’ and the treatment of minorities.

His arrest followed complaints alleging that his post was inflammatory and disrespectful to women in the armed forces. However, colleagues have defended Mahmudabad, asserting that his post supported the Indian government’s stance and praised the strategic restraint of the armed forces.

The Supreme Court granted Mahmudabad interim bail, extending it until the third week of July. The court has directed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to limit its probe to the two FIRs filed in relation to Mahmudabad’s Facebook post and has restrained him from posting any content online related to the ongoing case.

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