'You're A Grown-Up Adult': Ashoka Co-Founder Slams Mahmudabad In Letter To Alumnus

Last Updated:June 04, 2025, 10:14 IST

Sanjeev Bikhchandani said since the professor 'did not seek Ashoka’s consent before posting on social media, you cannot now present Ashoka with a fait accompli and expect support'

Sanjeev Bikhchandani said it is “important to understand what is and what is not academic scholarship”. (Getty)

“You are a grown-up adult… responsible for your actions" is how Sanjeev Bikhchandani, trustee and co-founder of Ashoka University summed up the recent controversy around the institution, calling out its professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad whose views on India’s Operation Sindoor opened up a Pandora’s Box on free speech.

Mahmudabad hit headlines on May 9 when he trained guns on Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh—the two women who emerged as India’s face at a press briefing during Operation Sindoor—in a social media post, saying he was “very happy to see so many right-wing commentators applauding" the Indian Army officers, but “perhaps they can equally loudly demand that victims of mob lynchings, arbitrary bulldozing… are protected as Indian citizens".

He added: “The optics of two women soldiers presenting their findings is important, but optics must translate to reality on the ground, otherwise it’s just hypocrisy."

The posts triggered a massive row, with many calling out Mahmudabad for disrespecting the women. As the professor was arrested, and subsequently granted interim bail, his university found itself struggling to defend its stand on the issue.

Now, in an internal e-mail to a former student, Bikhchandani said it is “important to understand what is and what is not academic scholarship".

“A political opinion expressed on Facebook or Twitter (X) or Instagram is not academic scholarship. Consequently, any public outcry about a political opinion an academic may express on social media is not an attack on academic freedom, even if the person expressing that opinion has a day job as an academic. If a regulator or the government or law enforcement goes after you for a social media post, it is not an infringement of academic freedom. It might be an infringement of freedom of speech; however, there are provisions within the Constitution and the law where you can find protection.

“You are a grown-up adult. You are responsible for your actions and any consequences thereof. Ashoka is not obliged to support you for political opinions you express in your personal capacity. You did not seek Ashoka’s consent before posting on social media, you cannot now present Ashoka with a fait accompli and expect support. Cruel as it may sound, you make your choices—and you live with the outcome."

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