Rabeeha Abdurehim

PUDUCHERRY: Rabeeha Abdurehim , a gold medallist in postgraduate degree in mass communication at Pondicherry University , was not permitted to attend the 27th convocation of the institute on Monday while President Ram Nath Kovind was present at the venue probably because she wore a ‘scarf in a different way.’

She was allowed to participate in the ceremony only after Kovind left the university after presenting gold medals and certificates to a few students.

“I don’t know why I was sent out (from the venue). But I learnt that when the students inside asked police they said, ‘may be, she is wearing her scarf in a different way.’ That is also a reason I feel that they have sent me out, may be. But nobody told blatantly on my face that this is why we kicked you out. They have not given me any reason,” Rabeeha said.

Rabeeha, a 2018 MA (mass communication) of the university, who secured the first rank in the batch, rejected her medal to register her protest against denying her permission to attend the convocation while the President was present as well as against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the National Register of Citizens (NCR) and National Population Register (NPR) in the country.

Rabeeha reached the convocation venue, Jawaharlal Nehru Auditorium, wearing a hijab . A few minutes before the President arrival, a police officer asked her to come out to have a word.

She was not permitted to attend the ceremony when the President was present. She was permitted to attend the ceremony only after President left.

The other dignitaries continued to present the medals and certificates to the students. When Rabeeha was called to collect her medal and certificate, she politely refused the medal but collected the certificate.

“The President attended the convocation. I was a suspect because they expected me to do something, I don’t know what. When the President was there, I was kicked out of my own convocation. Rejecting the medal is also to protest that, but at the same time more strongly, it is in support and in solidarity with all students and Indians who is fighting for what is India right now,” Rabeeha said.

“I hope as an educated youth of today, we have to take a strong stand and I hope the message is very clear and peaceful,” she said.

SI Humayun, officer on special duty (vigilance and security) in Pondicherry University, said the university had nothing to do with what had happened between the police and her (Rabeeha). “It has nothing to do with university. Yours is a pan India university. We don’t know what transpired between police and her. Police took over the control of the university just before the President's arrival. It is her decision to reject the medal. She later clarified that no one had asked her to remove her hijab,” said Humayun.



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