Form of words:
New Delhi: The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a Congress ally in Kerala, has courted controversy as it dissolved the state committee of Haritha, the women’s wing of its student wing, whose members leveled sexual harassment allegations against their male counterparts. Were.
On Monday, the party also removed Fatima Tahiliya, the national vice president of its student wing, the Muslim Students Federation (MSF).
Tahlia had come out in support of the complainants. He Said That the complainants “did not get natural justice” and that they were subjected to “character assassination on social media” along with other women.
In a written statement, IUML national president KM Khadar Mohideen said the party had decided to remove Tahilia from the post for “serious indiscipline”, in line with the recommendations of the Kerala State Committee.
This came even as IUML was being heavily criticized in August for ‘cooling’ Harita’s state committee on “indiscipline”, and then disbanded in the first week of September as its members withdrew complaints. refused to take.
Days after the committee was dissolved, the IUML on Sunday appointed a new committee to be headed by the women’s wing.
IUML has appointed Ayesha Bano, a member who was not in favor of the complaint, as the new chairman of Harita. The manner in which the party has handled the matter has stirred many of its young members, especially women.
However, the IUML defended its move, saying it was in response to the party’s “violation of discipline”.
Read also: Taliban back, desperate Kerala families hope couples fleeing Afghanistan for ISIS may return
‘Sexual obscene, vulgar language’ – allegation
Haritha members had alleged that at a state committee meeting of MSF in June this year, the body’s president PK Navas had “used sexist and derogatory language” against the women members.
“He had used vulgar and vulgar language to describe the female members. We opposed it,” Harita’s disbanded general secretary Najma Thabshira told ThePrint. Tabashira said that words such as “prostitute” and “infertile” were used to describe women.
“We wrote several complaints to the IUML leaders. We kept running from leader to leader, but to no avail. No one has shown sympathy towards our situation,” she said.
Harita’s members then wrote to the Kerala Commission for Women, which wrote to the Kerala Police to take up the matter.
The police registered an FIR against Navas on Friday and after that Arrested him The same day, but he was soon released on bail. ThePrint reached out to Navas via phone, but declined to comment on the matter.
Women members disappointed, but IUML defends move
The women members of IUML, especially the women members of Haritha, have expressed dismay over the handling of the matter by the party.
“We were such proud members and followers of the IUML ideology. We will defend it everywhere, and now they have thrown us under the bus so easily,” said Thabasira.
He said other women members of the party were also “hurt and disappointed”.
“IUML is a party that represents the grievances of Muslims – a marginalized minority. Similarly, women are also a marginalized group. But they don’t care about us.”
However, IUML leaders defended their move.
Speaking to ThePrint, ET Muhammad Bashir, National Organizing Secretary, IUML said, “No one has the right to violate party discipline”.
“We had resolved the matter internally. Those who were accused expressed their regret and made it clear that their intentions were not misogynistic,” Bashir told ThePrint. “But the very next day, Haritha members went and made a public statement on the issue. That hasn’t been done.”
Bashir rubbished allegations of the party being “anti-women”.
“These are baseless allegations. We have had women leaders in the past, we really value the entry and representation of Muslim women in politics. So that is not true,” he said.
(Edited by Arun Prashant)
Read also: AIUDF’s praise for BJP is shocking, Assam Congress says it sever ties with Ajmal’s party
subscribe our channel youtube And Wire
Why is the news media in crisis and how can you fix it?
India needs independent, unbiased, non-hyphenated and questionable journalism even more as it is facing many crises.
But the news media itself is in trouble. There have been brutal layoffs and pay-cuts. The best of journalism are shrinking, yielding to raw prime-time spectacle.
ThePrint has the best young journalists, columnists and editors to work for it. Smart and thinking people like you will have to pay a price to maintain this quality of journalism. Whether you live in India or abroad, you can Here.