Haryana Police yet to respond to NHRC notice over arrest of Ashoka University professor
New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has said that the Haryana Police has not yet responded to its notice concerning the arrest of Ashoka University professor Dr. Ali Khan Mahmudabad, despite the expiry of the stipulated deadline on May 27.
The NHRC had taken suo motu cognisance of Mahmudabad’s arrest last month, stating that, prima facie, the professor’s human rights and personal liberty appeared to have been violated. The arrest followed Mahmudabad’s remarks on “Operation Sindoor”, an Indian military operation against Pakistan, which led to charges under sedition and for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.
According to a report by The Hindu, filed under the Right to Information Act, 2005, the NHRC confirmed that Haryana Police failed to submit a reply within the mandated one-week timeframe. The Commission stated that it had issued a reminder to the Haryana authorities on June 10, and the case remains under active consideration.
In a press release dated May 21, the Commission had said: “The NHRC has come across a news report dated May 20, 2025, regarding the arrest and remand to custody of a Professor of Ashoka University in Haryana. The report, which contains a gist of the allegations on the basis of which he has been arrested, discloses prima facie that the human rights and liberty of the said professor have been violated. Therefore, the Commission deems it a fit case for suo motu cognisance.”
Professor Mahmudabad was arrested by Haryana Police on May 18. Following his arrest, the Supreme Court of India intervened and, on May 21, granted him interim bail subject to strict conditions. The Court also constituted a special investigation team to examine two of his social media posts that were deemed anti-war in nature.
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Bridge portion collapses on Jammu outskirts; 3-4 labourers feared trapped, 1 rescued
Jammu (PTI): A portion of a small bridge collapsed in the Bantalab area on the outskirts of Jammu city on Friday, trapping at least three to four labourers under the debris, while one injured worker was rescued, official sources said.
Authorities have closed the road link following the collapse of the portion of the bridge.
The incident occurred when labourers were carrying out repair work on a retaining wall near the bridge that was damaged in last year's flash floods, the sources said.
According to the sources, a section of the bridge suddenly gave way, burying workers engaged at the site under the rubble.
Police, Army and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams launched rescue operations to extricate those buried under the debris. They pulled out one injured labourer and shifted him to a hospital, the sources said.
Family members of the labourers present at the site said around six workers engaged at the site at the time of the incident came under the debris when the structure collapsed. The family members said while two of the labourers managed to escape, four got trapped.
The sources said those trapped included the husband of a woman labourer, a mason, an unmarried labourer and a relative of the contractor.
There was no official confirmation on the exact number of persons trapped under the debris till the filing of this report.
The rescue operations are ongoing.
