Activists across Kerala are planning to rally support for model and activist Rehana Fathima who was arrested on charges of hurting religious sentiments under Sections 295A and 505 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for outraging religious feelings of a certain group or class.
The Free Rehana Fathima Action Council will reportedly organize a solidarity event in Calicut and Ernakulam on December 14 and December 15, respectively.
A Change.org petition “liberal activist Rehana Fathima” demanding Rehna Fathima to be freed from jail is also circulating in the internet.
“She is an employee of a public sector company (BSNL), and is the mother of two young children, so there is no reason to suspect that she might abscond. On the contrary, there is every reason to believe that she will try to be at home with her two small children. There is no reason to believe that Rehana might attack others. She is a peaceful and non-violent activist who is often the victim of violent attacks from extremists, but she has never been the perpetrator of violence” the petition read.
The PRO officer of BSNL was remanded in judicial custody on Nov 27 for her Facebook post, which allegedly hurt the sentiments of the Ayyappa devotees. On Monday Rehana Fathima moved the Kerala High Court seeking bail in the case.
The Pathanamthitta police on October 22 filed a case against Rehana Fatima for putting up social media posts that were allegedly communally divisive in nature. One of them was a photo of herself that Rehana had posted on her Facebook page, dressed as an Ayyappa devotee with the caption ‘Thathvamasi’. The case was registered following a complaint filed by the Sabarimala Samrakshana Samithi.
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