It was just after sunset on November 28 when Hadiya set foot on the campus of the Sivaraj Homeopathic Medical College and Research Institute near Salem city, her first visit after 2015. Hadiya, previously called Akhila Asokan, has a one-point agenda: to clear the internship requirement to pass the Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery (BHMS) course she started in 2010.
What does it mean for her?
It was an emotional moment for Hadiya, for it also marked the first time she has been ‘free’ in over a year. Surrounded by policemen, she walked in, to be greeted by Principal G. Kannan, and Kalpana Sivaraj, the managing director of the college. The former went on to assure her of protection and all the support to complete her internship. Hadiya was apologetic. Her first few words to him were: “I am sorry for entangling you in this.”
But encouraging words from the principal seemed to have a calming effect on her. It had been a tough year for her, and the last two days in the Supreme Court had left her emotionally exhausted. “Yes. That is all I want,” Hadiya murmured, in response. A police officer who had escorted her to the college recalled later: “For the first time, we saw her eyes light up on hearing the principal’s words."
What happened?
Little did Akhila imagine the course her life would take soon after signing up at the college in 2010 for the BHMS programme. Her conversion and marriage became a matter of serious controversy with her parents moving the Kerala High Court in 2016 alleging that Akhila had been forced to convert to Islam and, as the case progressed, forcibly married to Shafin Jahan.
The story of Akhila becoming Hadiya had its roots on this very campus. There were four Malayali students, including Jaseela Aboobacker of Malappuram, Kerala, in her class. Jaseela’s sister Faseena was pursuing another course in the same college, they all stayed in the hostel in the first year. Akhila’s curiosity was piqued as she observed the sisters offering namaz and reading the Quran. Assisted by them, on her request, she started reading the Malayalam translation of the Quran.
Why did she convert?
Akhila cleared her doubts about Islam from Parayil Aboobacker, Jaseela’s father. She sought his help to embrace Islam. Aboobacker advised her to complete her studies first. In January 2016, she left for a friend’s house. A few days later, she turned up at her college wearing a hijab. She sought a transfer to do her internship in Kanniyakumari, closer to Thiruvananthapuram. The principal suggested that she get clearance from Dr. MGR Medical University for this. But he did not hear from her after that.
Her father registered a missing person case. He filed a second petition in the High Court in August 2016 alleging that his daughter was being taken out of India. In the meantime, Hadiya married Jahan on December 19, 2016. The Kerala HC on May 24 this year declared the marriage null and void and granted Hadiya’s custody to her parents. Jahan moved the Supreme Court against this order, and based on its verdict, the Kerala police brought Hadiya to Salem.
What now?
Her first task as she reached the Salem college was to submit a letter to the medical varsity for ‘condonation of the break of studies period’ and seeking permission for resuming studies. The college will allow her to continue the internship, if the university concedes her plea, Dr. Kannan said. Hadiya will continue her internship as Akhila, the name she provided when she joined the course. Hadiya is staying in the women’s hostel. While all hostellers take the college bus, she will go separately with police escort. A woman constable will be with her round the clock. This arrangement will continue for the entire duration of internship. The college has approached the court for clarity on where she should be sent during holidays.
