BSNL on Tuesday, 27 November, suspended its employee, Rehana Fathima, following the activist's arrest. Roy Mathew, the public relations officer of BSNL confirmed to The News Minute that she will remain suspended until further investigations.
Rehana, who attempted to climb Sabarimala in October, was arrested by the Pathanamthitta police from her office in Kochi on Tuesday for her Facebook post, which allegedly hurt the sentiments of the Ayyappa devotees.
She is currently being held at the Pathanamthitta police station.
On 22 October, the Pathanamthitta police filed a case against Rehana Fathima for putting up social media posts that are allegedly communally divisive in nature. Rehana had posted a photo of herself on her Facebook page, which several people took offence to.
Rehana had posted a picture on Facebook on 30 September, dressed as an Ayyappa devotee wearing a rudraksha and sporting a patta, with the caption 'Tatvamasi'. The case was registered following a complaint filed by the Sabarimala Samrakshana Samithi alleging that her social media posts has hurt their religious sentiments.
‘So-Called Brahmacharis’
The complaint was directly handed over to the district police chief of Pathanamthitta by the Sabarimala Samrakshana Samiti secretary P Padmakumar. A case was registered under IPC section 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), Pathanamthitta CI Sunil Kumar said.
Speaking to the media gathered outside the police station on Tuesday, Rehana Fathima said:
“It is the so-called brahmacharis who have been so disturbed by the sight of a woman’s bare leg.”Rehana Fathima
This was a direct reference to the photograph she has reportedly been arrested for posting, which depicted her dressed as an Ayyappa devotee and seated in a position where a length of her leg was visible.
On 30 October, Rehana moved the Kerala HC seeking anticipatory bail, which was rejected by Kerala High Court on 16 November. The high court had further instructed the Kerala police to go ahead with necessary action against the activist, according to reports.
Rehana Fathima hit headlines as she was one of the six women who tried to enter the Sabarimala sanctum to offer her prayers to the deity.
Rehana was given special protection by policemen who escorted her till the Nadapanthal, 500 metres away from the shrine. She was dressed like Ayyappa, in black clothes, carrying the irumudikettu (the two-layered sacred bundle without which devotees cannot enter the temple).
The model and activist is a controversial person in social media circles in Kerala for being outspoken about her views.
After her attempted Sabarimala climb, Rehana, who was employed at BSNL's Kochi boat jetty branch as a phone mechanic, had been transferred to Ravipuram to a role that reportedly did not require any direct contact or communication with customers.
(Published in an arrangement with The News Minute. The story has been edited for clarity.)
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