Criminalising Thought: How Nationalism Is Muzzling India’s Democracy

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India’s diversity, pluralism & commitment to freedom of speech are not just political talking points—they are core to its identity. The government’s embrace of nationalism at the expense of these values poses a grave threat to the nation’s future.

The arrest of Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad, a political science professor at Ashoka University, raises a key question: what does it mean to be a democracy in an age where nationalism is no longer just a sentiment, but a political weapon?

Professor Mahmudabad was detained in May 2025 after posting a social media comment that criticised the government’s treatment of India’s Muslim minority. His crime? Calling attention to the hypocrisy of celebrating Muslim officers in the Indian Army—like Colonel Sophia Qureshi—while ignoring the very real threats posed to India’s Muslims by communal violence. For this, Mahmudabad was charged with sedition. In what world, one wonders, does a call for human rights equate to treason?



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