 "Hadiya yet to get court-mandated freedom: Salem college principal says she cannot meet husband, venture out alone")
On Tuesday, Hadiya arrived in Salem from New Delhi to continue her studies at a homeopathy medical college as directed by the Supreme Court . Hadiya, a 24-year-old woman from Kerala at the centre of an alleged love-jihad case, on Wednesday reiterated her desire to talk to her husband.
“For the past six months, I was talking to persons I did not like (parents) because of their harassment during my stay with them,” she told reporters at Sivaraj Homeopathy Medical College, where she will be undergoing a 11-month internship.
The court, after the proceedings, had allowed Hadiya to return to her studies and freeing her from her parents’ custody. The 24-year-old was brought to the institution amid tight security by Kerala police from Coimbatore, about 170-kilometres from Salem on Tuesday evening. [caption id=“attachment_4233273” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] 24-year-old Hadiya being escorted out of the Supreme Court premises. PTI[/caption] To a query about her husband Shafin Jahan, Hadiya said she had no contact with him for the last few months as she did not have a mobile phone and the only people she spoke to were her parents. “I am very eager to speak to my husband,” said Hadiya, who was in the news recently after her conversion to Islam and marriage with the Muslim youth in Kerala. “I haven’t got what I asked for. I am waiting for the court order to see whether it will be another prison for me. I need the freedom to meet the person I love,” Hadiya was quoted as saying by News18. The two met through a matrimonial website affiliated to an organisation that the National Investigation Agency believes is linked to terror.
According to NDTV, the college admitted Hadiya as Akhila Asokan, her name before she converted. Principal G Kannan, reportedly, has said that Hadiya would need his permission to meet anybody, even if that’s her husband, though her husband’s lawyers say she is free to meet her husband at the hostel.
The Supreme Court ordered the college administration to treat Hadiya like any other student and as per hostel rules but remained silent on whether Shafin or Hadiya’s parents would be allowed to meet her while she completes her studies. “I won’t allow Hadiya’s husband to meet her. Her parents admitted her here; only they can meet her,” said G Kannan, Principal, Shivraj Homoeopathic Medical College.
The principal said that Hadiya will be going to hostel like any other student. “She can’t go anywhere alone and can do nothing without prior permission from me,” said the principal. The principal also said that the completion of her homoeopathy course was his priority. “Hadiya is still Akhila Ashokan as per records. If there is a change in name, it will be done through due procedure,” said Kannan. On the facilities available in the college hostel and the security arrangements, Hadiya said she was not aware of it and will answer all their (media) questions in another two days. She further added that she will be able to communicate better with the media after she receives the copy of the Supreme Court order. The apex court has appointed the dean of the college as Hadiya’s guardian and granted him liberty to approach it in case of any problem. She was staying at her parental home in Kochi for several weeks. It however did not accede to her plea to be allowed to go with her husband. Shafin Jahan on 20 September had approached the Supreme Court seeking recall of its order directing the NIA to investigate the controversial case of conversion and marriage of Hadiya. Hadiya’s father KM Ashokan, had said that his daughter wanted to go to Syria after converting to Islam but had no idea about what it entailed. “Hadiya does not have any idea about Syria, where she wanted to go after converting to Islam,” Ashokan had told the media. “I cannot have a terrorist in the family,” he added. Asked about his stance on inter-religious marriages, Ashokan said he believed in one religion and one god. The Kerala High Court had annulled the marriage terming it as an instance of ’love jihad’, following which Jahan approached the Supreme court.
