Kerala: Get me out, my father will kill me, says Hadiya

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Women’s Commission has ordered a police inquiry into the present condition of Hadiya, alias Akhila, whose conversion to Islam and marriage is under judicial review. Women’s Commission chairperson M.C. Josephine ordered the Kottayam district police chief to submit  a report on Hadiya’s condition immediately. A police officer not below the rank of DySP should be entrusted with the inquiry, she added.

The commission gave the fresh orders in view of reports that Hadiya was facing torture in her house and that  her life was under threat. There were also reports that she was being forcibly  intoxicated. Social commentator Rahul Easwar on Thursday released a video of Hadiya in which she said that she was being attacked by her father and that she  feared  a threat to  her life.

Easwar, the grandson of famed Sabarimala hill shrine supreme priest, said that he had released the video in order to get the Supreme Court’s attention to Hadiya’s plight. Though Hadiya was provided police protection on the direction of the court, Easwar does not think she is safe in her home. 

Easwar said that the video in his possession had visuals of the torture she had faced in her house. He said that he had not released them as it has communal overtones. He said that he will produce it before the court. Easwar had earlier lodged complaints with Kerala State Women’s Commission and Human Rights Commission against the human rights violations faced by Hadiya.

Hours after Hadiya’s shocking video emerged, her husband Shefin Jahan requested Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to intervene. In the petition given to the chief minister, Shefin mentioned that Hadiya, who has been under house arrest for over 5 months is going through severe human rights violation. Shefin also requested the home department to take suo moto action based on the video.

However, Hadiya’s father Ashokan K.M. has dismissed the charges. He dismissed Easwar’s allegations saying that he didn’t have time and that there was no need for him to comment on what Easwar says. It may be recalled that Hadiya’s father had earlier lodged a police petition against Easwar for making public a video footage of Hadiya engaged in an argument with her mother over her conversion to Islam.

The Kerala High Court earlier had annulled the marriage of Hadiya with  Shefin Jahan and given  her under protective custody to her father. 

It was also alleged to be an act of ‘love jihad’.  Shefin later approached  the Supreme Court against it and the matter was under the apex court’s consideration. A group of women’s rights activist had  sought the intervention of the Women’s Commission in  the matter and the commission even planned to approach the court.