‘FB arrest’ girl to study in city college

Rinu and her friend were arrested for a Facebook post on the shutdown in Mumbai following Bal Thackeray’s death

The past couple of weeks have been traumatic for Mumbai resident Rinu Srinivasan, to say the least.

The 20-year-old is hoping for a return to normalcy with an undergraduate course from a college in Chennai.

Rinu and her friend Shaheen Dhada were arrested in Mumbai on November 19 for a Facebook post against the shutdown in the city following the death of Shiv Sena Supremo Bal Thackeray.

Rinu, who lives in Palghar (Maharashtra), has applied for a two-year course in sound engineering at Muzik Lounge School of Audio Technology in Vadapalani. College officials recently contacted her father asking him to send a mail confirming her joining.

“We have been unable to send the mail because of the commotion over the arrest. My daughter is very keen on this course. We will come to Chennai as soon as possible to complete the admission formalities,” said her father R.A. Srinivasan, an employee of Shipping Corporation of India in Mumbai.

Rinu’s family hails from Kumarakom in Kerala. She has an older brother who is a technical writer in Mumbai. Rinu, a graduate in Botany, wants to pursue music seriously, her father said. “She has won many prizes in singing competitions. She is being trained in Carnatic and Hindustani music and also practices Western music,” he said.

Muzik Lounge, established in 2010, has a tie-up with Center for Continuing Education Kerala for conducting diploma courses in audio engineering and music technology. Musicians Sivamani and Hariharan are its brand ambassadors.

This is the only college Rinu applied to, her father said. “She wanted to study in a college that would help polish her technical skills as a musician,” he said.

College officials said she is eligible for the course and her admittance is not out of sentimental reasons.

“We take in only 15-20 students every year. We normally insist the person clears at least class XII exams or is a musician. But Rinu is a graduate and a musician too, which makes her much eligible. We contacted Rinu’s father because they had not responded to our mail and we were closing admissions,” the official said.

Incidentally, a bandh was observed in Palghar on Wednesday following a call by Shiv Sena against the suspension of two police officers in connection with the arrest of Rinu and Shaheen Dhada.

“Life has been very difficult for us since the arrest. Today, there is police presence around our house,” Mr. Srinivasan said. “We have nothing against the government or the police but we hope the case is withdrawn,” he said, describing the past few days as a ‘punishment’.

The family had approached the Palghar court on Tuesday to seek exemption from weekly police station appearances. The bail conditions required both Rinu and Shaheen to report to the Palghar police station every Wednesday and the matter is likely to be heard on Thursday.

“If things here don’t return to normal in a few days, we are thinking of shifting to Kottayam. It will be nice if Rinu is in Chennai as she will be close to our hometown,” Mr. Srinivasan said.