The National Investigation Agency has taken the statement of Hadiya, the 25-year old woman from Kerala who has been in the eye of a storm after she embraced Islam.
The officials of the NIA Kochi unit took the statement at Hadiya’s house at Vaikom in Kottayam. According to reports, the NIA took the statement over Thursday and Friday and this came to light on Friday.
Hadiya’s father Asokan confirmed to TNM that the NIA officials had taken the statement.
“It happened on Thursday and Friday and lasted from morning to evening. They took only Hadiya's statement,” he said.
The NIA had earlier taken the statements of Hadiya’s parents and neighbours. “They had taken our statement in October and that of the neighbours as well,” Asokan said.
Hadiya herself has not been allowed to speak to the media and there have been protests over her continued house arrest. She had also alleged that her father was beating her up and that her life was in danger.
The Supreme Court in August this year had ordered a probe by the NIA into Hadiya's conversion from Hinduism to Islam after the NIA alleged that her change in religion was part of an organised effort.
The Kerala government, however, told the SC in October that there was no ground for a probe by the NIA in the case and that the conversion was not part of any organised movement.
The NIA had interrogated Popular Front of India, Women’s Wing President AS Sainaba in connection with the case. Hadiya had stayed with Sainaba in Malappuram after she left home to study Islam.
A Manjeri based educational institution and conversion centre Sathya Sarani has also come under the scanner for conducting around 10 conversions in the past six months.
Further, it has also been alleged that Shafin Jahan, whose marriage with Hadiya was annulled by the Kerala High Court in August, is a member of the PFI. There were reports that the Centre was planning to ban the PFI for its radical views.
The SC is set to hear Hadiya in open court on November 27.
Meanwhile, Shafin Jahan has approached the State Police Chief, seeking to arrange air travel to Delhi for Hadiya to appear before the SC.