In a video, Kerala woman Akhila Ashokan, or Hadiya is heard pleading an activist to “get her out” of confinement as she fears that her father might kill her. The video was released by activist Rahul Eashwar. Hadiya, the woman at the centre of a religious conversion row is currently staying with her parents after a Kerala High Court order.
“Get me out of here. Today or tomorrow, I am going to die. I am sure about this. My father is getting angry, I can make out. He pushes me, stamps at me,” says the 24-year-old Hadiya in the video recorded in August.
Eshwar’s version
After meeting the woman and her family in August, Eashwar had released one video excerpt of his conversation earlier and released another part this week. “While I am a Hindu activist, I believe Hadiya’s voice must also be heard”, Eashwar told. He added that he would be handing over the entire footage to the court.
Father’s version
“Nothing has happened to her so far… so there is no validity to her claims,” the father told. “I don’t have the time and need to see what Rahul Eashwar says,” he added.
Activists’ demand
Women’s rights activists comprising academicians, authors, women’s collectives and women’s right advocates, have urged Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as well as the State Commission for Women to extend state protection to Hadiya. The activists, including publisher Urvashi Butalia, DU professor Nandini Sundar, JNU professors Ayesha Kidwai and Nivedita Menon, and Suneeta Dhar among others, have sought that “Hadiya be brought under the protection of the state, perhaps in a shelter in consultation with her”.
Court verdict
In May, Kerala High Court declared her marriage to Shafin Jahan as null and void calling it a case of “love jihad” and directed her to return to the protective custody of her Hindu parents in Kottayam. Outside her house, policemen stand guard round-the-clock to make sure she does.
The high court had gone by her father Ashokan KM’s claim that Shafin Jahan has links to terror-outfits and targeted Hadiya, who the father alleges, was forcefully converted by her friends.
On appeal against this high court verdict by Hadiya’s husband, the Supreme Court bench led by former CJI JS Khehar had initially roped in the anti-terror agency National Investigation Agency (NIA) to probe the circumstances of the marriage. However, earlier this month Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra questioned the annulment of the marriage by the Kerala High Court in May as well as the NIA probe that was ordered.
