Ashoka University professor case: NHRC notice to Haryana Police chief

NEW DELHI: The NHRC on Wednesday said it has issued a notice to the Haryana Police chief over the arrest and remand to custody of an associate professor of the Ashoka University, and sought a report within a week.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), in a statement, said it has taken "suo motu cognisance" of a media report in connection with the arrest. The rights panel noted that "the report, which contains a gist of the allegations based on which he has been arrested , discloses, prima facie, that the human rights and liberty of the said professor have been violated ".

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Ashoka University's head of the political science department, Ali Khan Mahmudabad , was arrested on Sunday after two FIRs were lodged on stringent charges, including endangering sovereignty and integrity, for his social media posts related to Operation Sindoor, police and his lawyer earlier said.

The NHRC said it has "come across a news report, dated May 20, regarding the arrest and remand to custody of a professor of Ashoka University (a deemed to be University) in Haryana". Therefore, it has deemed it to be a fit case for taking suo motu cognisance of the reported incident, the commission said. Accordingly, it has issued a notice to the Director General of Police, Haryana, seeking a detailed report within one week.