Salem: Hadiya, the 24-year-old girl whose conversion to Islam has drawn the attention of the nation, on Tuesday returned to the Sivaraj Homeopathy College near here to complete her house surgeon duties amid tight police security. The institution authorities said she will be registered under her original name of Akhila Ashokan.
The young BHMS (bachelor of homeopathic medicine and surgery) student, who was forced to discontinue her studies after a major row erupted over her conversion to Islam and marriage to a Muslim youth, arrived at the Coimbatore Airport from New Delhi on Tuesday evening and was taken directly to the college located 35 km from Salem by the Kerala police.
As she arrived at the college, the Tamil Nadu police cordoned off the entire area and restricted access to everyone till Hadiya aka Akhila was taken into the principal’s room. At the principal’s room, she completed all formalities to rejoin the college. A thick blanket of security was thrown around the institution to ensure that there was no untoward incident.
“Hadiya will be treated as one of the inmates of the hostel and no special treatment will be accorded to her. She will be registered under her Hindu name Akhila Ashokan in the college”, G. Kannan, principal of the college, told reporters.
Earlier on Tuesday, K.M. Ashokan, Hadiya’s father, welcomed the SC decision allowing his daughter to pursue her studies. “Hadiya does not have any idea about Syria, where she wanted to go after converting to Islam... I cannot have a terrorist in the family,” he said.
“But now I am happy as the court has allowed her to study further,” he told reporters in Delhi.
Mr Ashokan said he was not worried about Hadiya’s security in Salem, as she was now under the protection and observation of the apex court.
