Salem: Hadiya, the 24-year-old girl whose conversion to Islam has drawn the attention of the nation, on Tuesday returned to the Sivaraj Homeopathy College near here to complete her house surgeon duties amid tight police security. The institution authorities said she will be registered under her original name of Akhila Ashokan.
The young BHMS (Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery) student, who was forced to discontinue her studies at the institute after a major row erupted over her conversion to Islam and marriage to a Muslim youth, arrived at the Coimbatore Airport from New Delhi on Tuesday evening and was taken directly to the college located 35 kms from Salem by the Kerala Police.
As she arrived at the Sivaraj Homeopathy College, Tamil Nadu police cordoned off the entire area and restricted access to everyone till Hadiya aka Akhila was taken into the principal's room after which she was escorted to the college hostel in Sooramangalam where she will stay like any other student without any special facilities.
At the principal's room, Hadiya completed all formalities to rejoin the college. A thick blanket of security was thrown around the institution to ensure that there was no untoward incident although a group did manage to shout slogans in Hadiya's favour.
"Hadiya will be treated as one of the inmates of the hostel and no special treatment will be accorded to her. She will be registered under her Hindu name Akhila Ashokan in the college", G Kannan, Principal of the college, told reporters.
The Supreme Court had asked the dean of the college to take care of Hadiya and granted him liberty to approach it in case of any problem.
She will stay at the hostel for the next 11 months to complete her house surgeon duties to secure the degree. Following the SC order, college principal G Kannan wrote to Salem Police Commissioner K Shankar seeking police protection for her. “We will discuss with the college authorities and provide security to the woman”, Shankar told DC.
Hadiya returned to the college following the Supreme Court direction on Monday to the dean of the institution to ensure that she completes her course by staying at the hostel. A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra had given the direction Monday after interacting with Hadiya, who expressed interest to complete her studies.
Though she was disallowed to speak to the media, Hadiya spoke to reporters at the New Delhi airport briefly, reiterating that she wanted to go with her husband Shafin Jahan, who is being accused by right-wing groups of forcing her to convert to Islam feigning love.
Hadiya had completed the four-and-half-year theoretical part of the course, before she had left the college in 2015 without attending the one-year practical part of the course.
Earlier on Tuesday, Ashokan welcomed the SC decision allowing his daughter to pursue her studies. “Hadiya does not have any idea about Syria, where she wanted to go after converting to Islam... I cannot have a terrorist in the family,” he added. Ashokan also said he was sad that his daughter had to undergo such “unpleasant experiences because of which her studies were interrupted.”
“But now I am happy as the court has allowed her to study further,” he told reporters in Delhi. Ashokan said he was not worried about Hadiya’s security in Salem, as she was now under the protection and observation of SC.
