Who is Renu Bhatia, Haryana panel chief in Ashoka University row?

From Doordarshan anchor to Haryana Women's Panel chair, Renu Bhatia is in the news for her complaint against Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad

Renu Bhatia, chairperson of the Haryana State Commission for Women, has drawn attention for filing a complaint against Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad.

 

The complaint, which follows another by BJP Yuva Morcha member and sarpanch Yogesh Jatheri, alleges that Mahmudabad made provocative remarks during a discussion on Operation Sindoor, potentially disrupting communal harmony and national security.

 

Who is Renu Bhatia?

 

Born in Srinagar, Renu Bhatia first gained public attention as a familiar face on television. Between 1991 and 2000, she was a Doordarshan anchor. Her biggest break in front of the camera came in 2008, when she portrayed former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in a short film—largely due to her striking resemblance to Bhutto.

 

Despite her media background, Bhatia says politics was always close to home. “My family has long been associated with the RSS and BJP,” she said, adding that her shift to political work began after settling in Faridabad.

 

In 2000, Bhatia was elected as a BJP municipal councillor in Faridabad and later became deputy mayor. She contested again a decade later but lost, attributing her defeat to the Congress fielding six candidates with the same name.

 

Heading the Haryana women’s commission

 

Bhatia was appointed chairperson of the Haryana State Commission for Women in January 2022 by the BJP-led state government. Though her tenure was due to end in January 2025, it was recently extended until further notice.

 

Her time in office has not been without controversy. In one widely shared video, she was seen in a heated exchange with a woman police officer over a marital dispute.

 

In 2023, Bhatia led an inquiry into a mass sexual harassment complaint involving over 100 schoolgirls in Jind. In December 2024, she was again in the spotlight after being recorded threatening to deport a man in a marital conflict case.

 

Commission’s prior actions against academics

 

The current row is not the first time the commission has targeted university faculty. In December 2023, it filed an FIR against OP Jindal Global University professor Dr Sameena Dalwai, accusing her of "outraging modesty" by showing students dating app profiles during a lecture.

 

Complaint against Ali Khan Mahmudabad

 

In the latest case, Professor Mahmudabad allegedly criticised the government’s Operation Sindoor and the Indian Army. He is also accused of questioning the motives behind Col Sofiya Qureshi’s media briefings.

 

According to complainant Yogesh Jatheri, Mahmudabad also said that soldiers with mental instability were being sent to the frontlines—remarks he claimed insulted the armed forces and provoked communal unrest.

 

“He said these things in my presence,” Jatheri told The Indian Express. “There were four or five others. These remarks are provocative. That’s why I filed a complaint.”

 

In response, Mahmudabad defended his views on social media, stating: “There are those who are mindlessly advocating for a war, but they have never seen one… War is brutal. The poor suffer disproportionately and the only people who benefit are politicians and defence companies.”