Social activist Swami Agnivesh on Wednesday jumped to Hadiya’s rescue demanding the Supreme Court to take note of the allegations of torture at an RSS-run yoga centre made by the 25-year-old Kerala woman whose conversion to Islam and subsequent marriage to Shafin Jahan has created a national storm.
Agnivesh has accused the RSS of launching a false propaganda of “love jihad” or forced religious conversion against the minority community and maintained that the so called “ghar wapsi” programmes of the Hindutva outfit are nothing but a hogwash. He alleged that the BJP and RSS are creating a communal division and an unhealthy atmosphere in a state which is known for its secular credentials.
He said the allegations of torture made by Hadiya at Shiv Yoga Centre (Ghar Wapsi Centre) and their intervention in forcing her “reconvert “ to Hinduism, as claimed in certain sections of media, needs to be taken seriously and probed.
“Hadiya did not tell me, but I have read in Malayala Manorama about the torture she has undergone at the yoga centre run by RSS which was trying to bring her back to the Hindu fold,” Swami said at a press conference in the national capital. He was flanked by other social activists among whom were those connected to the Rajiv Gandhi Study Circle in Kerala.
“If there is truth in these reports, we condemn the ghar wapsi centres run by RSS and demand that they should be shut immediately. I condemn the RSS approach as it is creating more divide in a society that is known for excellent religious harmony and where people of different religions are living peacefully. In fact, Kerala is an example for the rest of the country ,” Agnivesh said.
He said Hadiya is an educated 25-year-old woman who is capable of taking her own decisions and added that her personal freedom should be restored completely and she should be allowed to meet anyone she wishes to.
“While I appreciate the Supreme Court verdict which restores Hadia’s personal freedom and sends her back to complete her studies, the order is still not fully up to our expectation,” Agnivesh said.
Decrying any attempts to link his statements to any political motive, he said he has been fighting for Hadia’s personal freedom as enshrined under the Constitution for a long time even as he has been resisting and exposing the ghar wapsi agenda of the RSS across the country.
He also demanded that the NIA must withdraw itself from the investigation immediately as it has no mandate to probe cases involving the personal life of any citizen.
Meanwhile, Agnivesh also accused the Kerala government of toying “soft Hindutva “ line by allowing RSS-backed centres to run in the state. The Kerala police should have cracked down on them long time ago and taken cognisance of Hadia’s allegations, he said.
Even as Akhila Ashokan alias Hadiya has been pleading that her case should neither be politicised nor communalised, the fresh rounds of allegations are expected to create a political storm with the RSS and BJP rubbishing all allegations made against them.
