Syed Khalique Ahmed
NEW DELHI—The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has landed in a big problem with former leaders of Haritha, women’s wing of IUML’s student wing – Muslim Students Federation – having levelled allegations against MSF leaders, particularly its president P K Navaz and Mallapuram district general secretary Abdul Wahab.
Haritha leaders have accused the IUML leaders of protecting the MSF leaders who, according to former Haritha leaders, used derogatory remarks and abusive language against them at the state meeting of the MSF on June 24.
After having exhausted all options to solve the issue within the party, as many as 10 Haritha leaders complained to the Kerala State Women’s Commission who ordered the police to lodge a criminal case against Navaz and Wahab. However, the IUML leadership dissolved Haritha’s state committee after the complainant-women rejected the demand to withdraw the complaint. IUML has now appointed a party worker, Rumaisa Rafeeq, as the new general secretary of Haritha.
Addressing media persons at the Calicut Press Club on Wednesday, former leaders of Haritha said that IUML leaders neglected their complaints. They alleged that they were subjected to “cyber attacks” and “verbal rape” on the issue even after taking up the matter with the IUML leaders. They said that they submitted a five-page written complaint to the leadership after meeting them in person but the senior leaders avoided taking action.
Former Haritha leaders said that they were subjected to a lot of mental trauma. Instead of taking action against the male colleagues, the leadership tried to force the women to withdraw their complaints. Former Haritha president Mufeeda Thasni and its former general secretary Najma Thabsheera said that IUML leadership wanted them to ignore the issue. They also accused IUML state general secretary PMA Salam of passing derogatory remarks against them and also threatening that “cyber goons were after them” in Kozhikode.
“Our approach to the Kerala State Women’s Commission was seen as a crime by the IUML leadership. We are being subjected to constant cyber-attacks, character assassination and verbal rape over the issue”, the two women leaders told media.
Haritha leaders also denied that there was any hidden agenda behind their complaint to the women’s commission.
Najma said that the IUML leadership was victimizing the Haritha workers to protect Navaz. “Instead of trying to settle the complaints against the individuals, they took our complaint as an allegation against the party”, Najma told reporters.
Najma alleged that some “goons” in the MSF claimed that he had got photos and videos of Haritha girls and that they would commit suicide if he released them on social media.
Whatever be the truth because allegations and counter-allegations are being made over the issue by both sides, IUML leadership must know that #MeTooMovement in India has become very strong and it is no longer possible for anyone to go scot-free with sexual harassment of women. We must know how veteran journalist M J Akbar had to resign from his ministerial post after some women journalists levelled allegations of sexual harassment against him.
