24-year-old old Hadiya, a Muslim convert from Kerala's Kottayam district has been under house arrest since May this year, after the Kerala HC annulled her marriage to a Muslim man.
On Wednesday, five women – students, journalists and a filmmaker – carried out a silent protest outside Hadiya's house in Vaikkom, criticising the gross violation of human rights.
The protest came after the women were denied permission to meet Hadiya or give her the books and gifts they had brought for her.
Their faces covered, the women held placards that read, "Release Hadiya from house arrest" and "Free Hadiya, We say no to house arrest".
With the hashtag #hughadiya, the protesters took to Facebook with a video explaining the reasons for their protest.
"We came here to meet Hadiya, but it’s been 15 minutes since we reached here and we have not been allowed to enter the house. We have come here to give some sweets, clothes and books to Hadiya,” a protester said.
“At this point, our request is not to meet Hadiya in person, but to send across these gifts we got her. But when we spoke to the parents, they told us that they were providing everything Hadiya needs, and that nobody else should get anything for her. But what we saw here was Hadiya telling us from the window to help her, since she was being beaten up," she added.
One of the protesters Anusha Paul, a documentary film maker, told TNM that they wanted to give Hadiya some gifts because Onam is coming up.
"We understand it is difficult to get permission from her parents for us to meet her. But we hope we'll be able to speak to the parents and get these gifts delivered to her. Onam is coming up, and we want to give her some clothes, flowers and sweets. Also a note pad, in which she can write," Anusha said.
Anusha also alleged that the police personnel on duty outside Hadiya’s house had behaved rudely with them.
"The local residents too gathered and started telling everyone that we were terrorists. There was a CI on duty and he spoke to us very rudely and insulted us. The husband of one of the women had accompanied us and was standing a little away from where we were protesting. The CI then picked him up and went to the police station. When his wife questioned the cops, the CI pushed her."
All the six women protesters as well as the husband of one of them, have now been charged for rioting by the Vaikkom police. Vaikkom SI told TNM that they have not secured bail yet.
Hadiya, born Akhila, is a Muslim convert, whose marriage to a Muslim man Shafin Jahan was nullified by the Kerala HC in May this year. The court had raised questions regarding Hadiya's conversion and called the marriage a "sham."
Following this, Shafin approached the Supreme Court with a special leave petition. The apex court, earlier this month, ordered an NIA probe into the case, appointing former SC judge RV Raveendran to monitor the probe. However, on Wednesday, Indian Express reported that Justice Raveendran has turned down the request to monitor the probe.