Indian students, evacuated from Ukraine, on their arrival at Kochi International Airport in Kochi on March 5, 2022. | Photo Credit: PTI
‘We will soon be left with no option but to start walking to the nearest border ourselves’
Students in Sumy on Saturday said they were running out of hope after several days of promises on their evacuation through a “humanitarian corridor” and that continued bombardment in the city indicated there was no sign yet of a ceasefire for them.
The city also saw a blackout for most part of the day, leaving students without a means to cook.
“There is no water, no food, no electricity for the past two days and the bombings keep getting worse every passing day. Often bombs land a few hundred metres away from us,” said Zara Azan.
Another student, Hitesh Kumar Gujjar, said there were sirens at least thrice on Saturday forcing students to rush to their bunkers.
“Today is the 10th day. Every day we hear that we will be evacuated, but that is yet to happen. We will soon be left with no option but to start walking to the nearest border ourselves. We would prefer to die trying to escape rather than die of hunger and thirst ,” said Dushyant Siraw, who was echoing what a group of students said in a video threatening to walk to the Russian border armed with Indian flags amidst intense fighting in Sumy.
“The latest we have heard is that there will be an effort on Sunday to try and evacuate us. But this is not through official sources. If not tomorrow, we will lose all hope,” said Ms. Azan.
Mr. Gujjar said though there was a water tanker sent for the students, it was not enough.
“We got one litre of water. How can one tanker for 700 Indian students and hundreds from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Nigeria be sufficient,” he said, adding that with no electricity, cooking on induction was not possible and students were making do with “biscuits and chips”.
Students say some of their friends are seeing their health deteriorate from exhaustion and scarcity of food.
“Several of my friends and I have fainted more than a few times. There is physical and mental breakdown. Many students are also experiencing asthma attacks, but inhalers and drugs or any medical assistance is just not available,” said Ms Azan.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National – Indians in Ukraine / by Jagruti Chandra / New Delhi – March 05th, 2022
A view shows thermal power plant destroyed by shelling, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in the town of Okhtyrka in the Sumy region, Ukraine, in this handout picture released on March 4, 2022. | Photo Credit: Reuters
Their fate hangs in the balance as there is no progress on ‘humanitarian corridor’ for evacuation
The fate of several hundreds of students at Sumy in eastern Ukraine hangs in the balance as there was little progress on a “humanitarian corridor” for evacuation of civilians on Friday, while students who were able to reach Pesochin from Kharkiv after an advisory continued to leave for the western border on privately arranged buses.
“There were air-strikes and bombings on Sumy yesterday, which led to power and water supply being cut-off. We spent the entire night without electricity, and we can’t cook without water. If we don’t get killed by bombs, we will definitely die of starvation and thirst,” says Shivangi Jaiswal, who shared videos of students collecting snow and water from roof channels.
She says that unlike Kharkiv, where there was some movement because of a train station, Sumy is cut off from all sides as roads and rail tracks have been damaged, entrapping students in their hostel bunkers.
“Only a government intervention can help us escape from here. But it seems no decisions are being taken for Sumy,” said Ms. Jaiswal
‘Buses not helpful’
On Thursday, Russia and Ukraine agreed to create humanitarian corridors for evacuation of civilians and there were reports that 130 buses were waiting on the Russian border for Indian students.
But Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at a press interaction on Friday that there would be difficulties in evacuating students from an active conflict zone until there was a ceasefire and Russian buses were very far from Kharkiv and Sumy and were not proving to be helpful.
Reacting to these comments from Sumy, Zara Azan said, “the government says they are waiting for us at the borders. I want to ask them, if you can’t brave the shelling to reach us, then how do you expect young college students to make their way to the border without cabs, buses or trains. The least the embassy can do is arrange buses for us.”
“Yesterday we saw several fighter planes drop bombs just metres away from our hostel, and several girls fainted on seeing that. Increasingly, children are falling sick due to cold or complaining of low blood sugar levels or suffering panic attacks. We may even have to carry them while planning our escape as we can’t leave our friends behind,” said Zara.
She asked why did the embassy not forewarn its citizens about escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
“In February, I had to travel from India to Ukraine and I called the Indian embassy to know if it was safe to travel as several other countries had started issuing advisories for their citizens and I was told that I could travel,” says Zara.
‘No info on exit plan’
In Pesochin, where nearly 1,200 students fled to from Kharkiv following a government advisory on Wednesday, students continued to leave for the western border on privately arranged buses for which they have paid from their own pocket. They were earlier expecting that they would be able to make their escape through the border with Russia on buses they believed the embassy would arrange for them.
“There is no information yet from the embassy on an exit plan for us through Russia. Our student coordinator has arranged a few buses and we are slowly leaving on them. Two buses with 60 students left yesterday and nearly six are leaving today. We have been told that all students will be able to leave Pesochin by Saturday,” said Mohamed Thaha Sheikh.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> India> National / by Jagriti Chandra / New Delhi – March 04th, 2022
Gopalganj Village (Seoni District), MADHYA PRADESH :
Arshad with his team. | Picture by arrangement
Bhopal :
Ashfaq Khan (63) and his wife Aliya Khan (56), residents of Seoni district of Madhya Pradesh’s Gopalganj, were glued to the television set watching the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction as the league had put his youngest son Arshad Khan’s name in the auction list of IPL players. With the completion of every auction, the duo eagerly waits to hear the next name which might be of their son’s.
With dim hope, Ashfaq, a retired teacher-turn-farmer, who wants to see his son in the Indian cricket team, left home for the mosque to offer evening Namaz (Magrib), pondering on the future of his son. As he completed the Namaz, his eldest son Zakariya Khan whispered, “Arsad ko Mumbai Indians team ne kharid liya hai. Wo IPL khele ga.”
Elated with the news, “I thanked Allah and offered namaz of shukrana,” recalled Ashfaq.
The left-arm seamer and left-hand batsman, Mohd Arshad Khan has been picked up by Mumbai Indians worth Rs 20 lakh in the mega auction of the 15th season of IPL 2022 held in Bangalore recently. His consistent performance in the Under-23 VK Naidu tournament organised by BCCI in the year 2020, Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in the same year caught the eyeballs of the selectors.
In the VK Naidu tournament, Arshad took 36 wickets in 10 matches and also scored 400 runs. He shot into the limelight in 2019-20 when he took 5 wickets and scored a century, batting in the tail end. “The match was against Assam and my team had lost 7 wickets for 87 runs. I went in and scored 134 runs. That inning has been the best of my career,” said Arshad. He always punched above his weight, getting selected for under-14 when he was just 11-year-old.
It was an unforgettable moment for Ashfaq, who coached Arshad for almost eight years since he was eight-year-old. “He was born to be a cricketer. I saw a player in him when he performed well during a trial that took place in Chhindwara in 2008.”
With the selection in Mumbai Indians, Arshad became a superstar in his village as well as in the district. When an overwhelmed Ashfaq was rushing home, he was surrounded by the villagers who were rejoicing at Arshad’s selection. “It was like a village fair. Hundreds of people have gathered outside the home, crackers were burnt, drums have begun to beat and everyone is distributing sweets,” said Aliya, mother of Arshad.
Recalling the contribution of Arshad’s father, his mother Aliya said, “Cricket is an expensive game and there were occasions when his father purchased his cricket kit way more expensive than his month’s salary. Besides, the efforts of his coaches Abdul Kalam, from Seoni and his coaches in Indore — Shantanu Tripathi and Chandrakant Pandit —have polished his talent to become a good cricketer.”
Belonging to a humble background and youngest among the four siblings, Arshad and his family live in Gopalganj village, around 13-km from Seoni town. “Even Seoni didn’t have a proper turf, what to talk of my village when I began playing cricket,” said Arshad speaking over the phone. “I was in Gujarat when I got a phone call that you have been selected for Mumbai Indians.
“My phone was buzzing non-stop the day I got selected. I don’t even have time to speak with my father. It was the next morning when I spoke to him on a video call. He was blushing and smiling. It was an unforgettable smile which I have been waiting to see for years,” the budding cricketer Arshad giggled.
Talking about the struggle, Arsad said, “From 2017 to 2019, it was the years of despair. I had multiple injuries and have stopped playing cricket. But then my father encouraged me to restart afresh and boosted my morale. From that day to today, I never looked back.”
“The journey would have been much more difficult if my partner-in-dream; Ashfaq Khan, my father, did not stand beside me like a rock,” said Ashfaq adding that I want to live his dream and will play for the Indian cricket squad.
Madness for cricket has forced Arshad to quit education after matriculation. But, now, he is determined to resume his studies.
Just like Arshad, Kuldeep Sen, a son of saloon shop owner from Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa, was also auctioned in the the15th edition of IPL. Rajasthan Royals took him at a base price of Rs 20 lakh.
source: http://www.twocirlcles.net / TwoCircles.net / Home> Lead Story / by Kashif Kakvi, TwoCirlcles.net / Februrary 25th, 2022
Screenshot from a video sent to The Peninsula by one of the students
Doha :
Around 23 Doha-based Indian medical students in Ukraine’s Kharkiv university have been staying in bunkers for the last four nights as fierce fighting between the Russian and Ukrainian forces has prevented them from fleeing the war-torn country.
The panic-stricken parents of these stranded students shared their anxiety with The Peninsula yesterday while requesting Indian authorities to quickly make arrangements for bringing back their children safely.
“It’s scary. We’re worried about the plight of our children after receiving disturbing text messages from them.
Even in this difficult situation, they’re consoling us saying Allah will show a way to overcome, says Doha resident Aysha Saibool, mother of Dua Khadeeja, a first-year medical student at the V N Karazin Kharkiv National University in Kharkiv.
She said that her daughter has informed that it will take at least seven hours from Kharkiv to reach the nearest border and since no security is guaranteed it is unsafe to travel.
The plight of the stranded students in the war zone was raised by her with the Minister of State of India’s External Affairs, V Muraleedharan.
The Minister said that travelling from Kharkiv, which lies in the eastern part of Ukraine, to the south – west borders of Romania, Hungary or Poland is not safe. He advised the students to stay where they are, until they receive further instructions from the Indian Embassy in Ukraine.
Dua Khadeeja
The Peninsula contacted Dua Khadeeja over telephone in Kharkiv and she said that she and 131 other students were stranded in the Mir hotel bunker in dire condition. They were told not to move out because of security reasons.
“We are sitting inside the bunker with the hope that we will be evacuated soon. Everyone is terrified. Some experience nose bleeding due to allergies and severe cold,” said Dua.
“There’s hardly any space to stand. We cannot even go to toilet. This morning we were allowed to go to hostel for a few minutes to freshen up. That was a little bit of comfort from this harrowing experience. Dua said that food is provided at the bunker.
The parents of Doha-based students have been sharing the latest developments through their whatsapp group.
Nusrath Shamseer, whose daughter Fathima Sharbeen is also stranded in the hostel bunker in Kharkiv University, said they are worried about the situation. Fathima’s classmates Hiba and Riya are also staying in the hostel bunker since Thursday.
Fathima Sharbeen
“The easiest way for the students from Kharkiv to be evacuated is via Russia. But it is dangerous to cross the border without adequate security escorts from both Ukraine and Russia,” one parent said quoting his son’s message.
“The alternative routes are Romanian border in the south-west and Poland, Hungary and Slovakia in the west. These are too far from Karkhiv,” he added.
India has so far evacuated 709 students from Ukraine with the third flight carrying 240 students arriving in Delhi from the Hungarian capital Budapest last morning. The flight landed a few hours after Air India’s second evacuation flight from the Romanian capital Bucharest carrying 250 Indian nationals landed at Delhi Airport.
India’s evacuation operation of its stranded citizens, codenamed as ‘Ganga’, began on Saturday with the first flight bringing back 219 people from Bucharest to Mumbai.
Disturbing accounts by Indian students stranded in Ukraine are also circulating in social media with some complaining that they were beaten up by Ukrainian forces and were being kept from leaving the country.
According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science, there are over 18,000 students from India study in the country. Most of the students are from the southern Indian state of Kerala.
source: http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com / The Peninsula / Home> Qatar> General / March 01st, 2022
Amidst the blitzkrieg from the Russian military, three students from Kodagu managed to leave the conflict zones in Ukraine and safely returned to India much to the relief of their family members who were pleading for their safe evacuation ever since Russian forces invaded Ukraine.
Alisha Sayyad Ali, Siniya V.J. and M.P. Nirmala, who managed to reach the borders in available modes of transport from their respective cities, returned on Wednesday in the evacuation flights operated by the Indian government.
The girls’ return was confirmed to The Hindu by the Kodagu district administration, whose officials were in touch with the stranded students since the war broke out. A few of the students from Kodagu and Mysuru are said to have reached Poland and are waiting for their evacuation. All of them are safe.
Siniya, who landed in Bengaluru airport on Wednesday evening, was welcomed by her family members.
Jose, her uncle, said Siniya had to walk about 20 km from her shelter in Kyiv along with other students to the railway station to reach Livv. She was evacuated from Budapest in Hungary to New Delhi.
“Minutes before Siniya was supposed to board a flight to Dubai on February 24 from Kyiv to join her sister for a vacation, Russian forces attacked Ukraine and the flights got cancelled. She had to rush back to her accommodation in available means of transport for her safety. Her 40-kg baggage was stuck in Kyiv airport and she flew to India with only a few pairs of clothes as all her belongings are at the airport,” Mr. Jose said.
Alisha, a student of Ivan Francisco Medical University, has also returned.
M.P. Nirmala, a student of Bogomoleth National Medical University in Kyiv, was stranded at a school after the invasion. Her mother Rajani was praying for her early return, pleading with the authorities for her evacuation. Ms Rajani said, “My daughter landed in Delhi this morning and is on her way to Bengaluru.”
Karthik, brother of Likith, who was stranded in Kharkiv with eight others, said his brother and some of his friends have reached Poland. “It was tough for them to reach the borders but they managed and are now away from the conflict zone Kharkiv which is under siege. They are waiting for their turn to board the next evacuation flights,” he said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – March 02nd, 2022
Salman, along with countless others have been left to navigate to borders 800 kms away as the Indian government has absolved themselves of any responsibility.
Salman (Left) and his friend Samiuddin. (Screengrab: Twitter)
Hyderabad:
At 8:30 pm, IST, Salman Mohiuddin, one of the countless Indian students stuck in Ukraine, over a WhatsApp call narrated the horrors he had witnessed over the last few days. His voice was meek, with hints of helplessness. He rushed through his statements and made it a point to mention that there was hope if the government chose to help them.
He used the collective word ‘them’ instead of the singular ‘me‘, as in times of war, nobody speaks in the singular.
Salman, along with countless others, has been stranded in the war-torn country since Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a military offensive against Ukraine, leaving expatriates stranded miles away from their homeland.
As a large number of students from the Dnipropetrovsk Medical Institute of Traditional and Alternative Medicine hurried to the airports in an attempt to fly to safety before the dreaded war began, their hopes were crushed as they were prevented from flying minutes before they boarded their flights.
“We were asked to leave the airport by officials and seek shelter elsewhere. A few minutes later, we heard a bomb detonate. We were a mere 1.6 kilometers from the bomb,” said a passive Salman over the call with Siasat.com.
Salman’s testimony made one thing clear.
The war had begun.
Students up until then were in a close-knit group. When the bomb made its presence known, they panicked and ran in different directions. Salman along with five of his friends ran towards and found shelter in the Kyiv Medical University’s hostel alongside 150 other resident students. Others ran towards the embassy in search of refuge.
When asked about bare necessities, Salman said that for the moment things were fine.
“We are a group of over 150 Indian students who are currently stuck in Kyiv. We have sufficient food to eat as we found shelter in the university’s hostel,” added Salman.
Salman’s account of Ukraine as mentioned before extends beyond his own self. While he hasn’t witnessed bodily offenses, he discusses how he has heard violence. The auditory account of violence is conveyed in his meek and yet somehow, detached tone.
“My friends who ran towards the Indian Embassy had been given shelter in a school nearby. However, the students have been struggling with little food, and are forced to bear the chilly weather, without mattresses or proper arrangements for a good night’s sleep,” he says.
Indian government and where they stand:
After three days of waiting around the students were able to contact the Indian Embassy in Ukraine.
“We were able to get in touch with the Embassy after a while. The Indian government claims to be rescuing students from Ukraine but we have been left to survive on our own,” said Salman. His up till then placid tone shifts to one of betrayal. “How can he do this to us?” he asks.
“We have been asked to stay where we are until the situation improves. The Embassy has left us to navigate the borders on our own, which are over 800 kilometers away,” said a now rootless Salman.
To make matters worse, the Indian embassy in Ukraine on Monday advised all Indian students stranded in Kyiv to reach the railway station in the Ukrainian capital for their onward journey to the western parts of the war-torn country.
The Indian government has so far rescued 907 stranded citizens from Ukraine following Russia’s military offensive against Ukraine.
Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that approximately 13,000 Indians are stranded in Ukraine as of now, and the government is making efforts to bring them back as soon as possible.
Salman’s Hyderabad connection:
Salman’s family resides in Hyderabad’s Bahadurpura and like most families in Telangana has appealed to the state chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao for help. Rao had earlier assured support for students from Telangana stranded in Ukraine.
Salman has earlier shared a video message, where he had shared glimpses of the heavily populated basement of the KMU as he pleaded with the Indian government for help.
Salman’s family resides in Hyderabad’s Bahadurpura and has appealed to the state chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao for help, as he has promised to extend support in bringing back the students who are stranded in Ukraine, a copy of which has been accessed by Siasat.com.
“I spoke to my son a few hours ago. He told me that a few Ukrainian soldiers had tried to force their way into the hostel however were stopped and sent away by their hostel security guard. They are all stuck in the abasement of the hostel of KMU,” said Salman’s father Dr. Ghulam Mohiuddin.
They are stuck in Ukraine amidst a war. We are worried about them as bombs are dropping a few kilometers away from their location. We are appealing to the government for help,” said a helpless father.
Salman’s twin brother, Nomaan Hyder, who resides in Kazakistan, was the first to reach out to Siasat.com seeking help for his brother.
“He has been stuck in the basement alongside other students and we have been informed that they heard shots being fired at a distance when the Ukrainian soldiers arrived at the hostel. No one was hurt, however. Our family has been kept in the dark about a few terrifying incidents that have unfolded before my brother’s eyes in Ukraine,” said Nomaan.
The ongoing Russia-Ukraine War
The Russian army has launched coordinated missile attacks on several Ukrainian cities including the capital city Kyiv, on Thursday in Europe’s worst conflict in decades that was launched by Vladimir Putin on Thursday.
Negotiation talks are taking place in Belarus for Kyiv and Moscow however with little expectations.
Before the meeting, President Zelensky urged Russian forces to lay down their weapons and called for immediate EU membership.
On the fifth day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, people in Kyiv are emerging from their homes after a weekend-long curfew.
As the Russian currency plunges, the interest rate is increased by 20 percent and experts warn of a possible run on banks.
UK’s defense secretary says that Russia could indiscriminately bomb cities as its frustration grows.
The northeastern city of Chernihiv was heavily bombed overnight however is still under Ukrainian control. However, reports of Belarus, a Russian ally, have decided to deploy its own soldiers to fight.
A number of World leaders have condemned the invasion and imposed sanctions against Russia, however, they have left little to no impact on the war-driven country. The US, EU, UK, and other allies have reportedly agreed to remove some Russian banks from the Swift payments system.
Germany also announced that it is sending anti-tank missiles and other weapons to Ukraine – marking a major change in policy.
A curfew had been put in place from Saturday to Monday morning after Russian missiles hit an oil depot in Vasylkiv, its mayor said, which has prompted fears of toxic fumes. Anyone who is seen on the street during the curfew will be treated as a Russian “saboteur”, said the capital’s mayor.
A large number of people have already fleed Ukraine, while some attempt to flee the war-struck country with a 27-hour-long queue of women and children, on the Moldovan border.
Heavy street fighting took place in Kyiv on Saturday as officials urged locals to take immediate shelter. Kyiv was struck by two missiles. As many as 198 Ukrainians, including three children, have been killed since the invasion began.
source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> Hyderabad / by Syeda Faiza Kirmani / February 28th, 2022
The funeral of Havaldar Altaf Ahmed (37), who martyred in Srinagar of Kashmir due to snowslide, was held with full state and military honours at his native place Virajpet on Saturday, February 26.
The funeral was held as per Islam traditions in the cemetery in the presence of his Virajpet family members, district administration, relatives and people representatives.
Altaf, who was born at the fish market of Virajpet had done his second PU and joined the AOC regiment of the Indian Army serving the country for 19 years.
Altaf’s mortal remains were brought by a special team of the Indian Army on the morning of Saturday.
It was kept for public view at the Taluk Maidan. MLAs K G Bopaiah, Santheyanda Veena Acchaiah, MP Suja Kushalappa, DC Dr B C Sathisha and SP M A Aiyappa offered their respects.
source: http://www.daijiworld.com / DaijiWorld.com / Home> Karnataka / by Daijiworld Media Network – Madikeri (MS) / February 27th, 2022
Safana Shamna who was selected for Sustainability Leadership Programme offered by Geneva-based United People Global. | Photo Credit: The Hindu
Safana Shamna, a young social worker and Kudumbashree trainer from Mankada in Malappuram district, has been selected for this year’s Sustainability Leadership Programme offered by Geneva-based United People Global (UPG).
She is among the handful of Indians who made it to the 500 young leaders selected from 159 countries. Announcing the selection, the UPG said that Ms. Shamna was selected after an intense review by 130 panelists.
The UPG offers training in sustainability leadership every year for select candidates from across the world. “It gives nine-week-long classes in sustainable leadership with the objective of attaining social sustainability,” said Ms. Shamna.
The chairperson of the Mankada Readers Forum, Ms. Shamna is also the district treasurer of Haritha, the women’s wing of the Muslim Students Federation. “I have been focusing on the idea of attaining sustainable development through mini training sessions,” she said.
The UPG Sustainability Leadership Programme classes will begin on March 14.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Kerala / by Staff Reporter / Malappuram – February 15th, 2022
Muskan khan was facilitated by members of Maharashtra-based NGOs [Special arrangement]
The family of Muskan Khan, a Muslim student who became a symbol of pro-hijab resistance after confronting an unruly mob and chanting the ‘Allah-u-akbar’ slogan in Karnataka, have expressed happiness over the widespread support they have received from across the world.
Muskan’s father Husain Khan said that after the college incident, they were a bite worried but Muskan calmed them down and told them that they are on the right path and they have nothing to worry about.
Karnataka’s Muskan Khan has become the poster girl of pro-Hijab protests. Muskan hogged headlines after her video of shouting “Allah Hu Akbar” went viral. The video showed Muskan being heckled by saffron-clad students in Karnataka. Muskan opened up about her viral video in an exclusive interview with ZEE News. / www.youtube.com / DNA India News _________________
“She is a daughter of a Pathan,” Khan proudly said.
“Muskan is a very religious girl who believes in the importance of connection with their creator and performs tahajjud on daily basis (midnight prayers.)” he said while speaking to this correspondent over a call.
He further said that he wanted Muskan to become an advocate but many well wishers are now suggesting her to start preparations for civil services exams.
“Insha Allah, we will do our best for her better education to become good a human being and serve her nation,” he said.
Hussain Khan raised his concerns over rumour and fake news about his family. “When our opponents spread rumours and fake news like receiption of crores of rupees ,gifts and rewards etc.,it can be ignored easily but when our own people do it and try to let us down by doing so then it hurts” he added.
He added that Muskan has received overwhelming media attention and activists from all over India keep coming to appreciate Muskan’s brave act.
Members of Maharashtra-based NGOS – Maharashtra active Forum, Gaziuddin Research Centre, Tahzeeb Foundation and Sada Foundation – visited Muskan to felicitate her. One of the visiting member Sarfaraz Ahmad said that motive behind the visit was protection of Muskan’s constitutional rights. All the present members including Muskan and family read “preamble to the constitution of India” there, he added.
source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Indian Muslim / by Imran Inamdar / edited and video of DNA Indian News inserted / February 27th, 2022
Notably, Fathima’s father, Abdul Samad, an ex-Member of Parliament, won from the Harbour area during the 1958 urban local body polls.
AS Fathima Muzaffer led numerous anti-CAA protests in Chennai. (Photo | Special Arrangement)
Chennai :
The woman, who led numerous anti-CAA protests in Chennai, AS Fathima Muzaffer from the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML)-DMK alliance emerged victorious in ward 61 of the Chennai Corporation on Tuesday by a huge margin of votes.
After five and a half decades, IUML’s own symbol (ladder) was used and this is the first time in the history of the party that a woman candidate has contested in Chennai.
Notably, Fathima’s father, Abdul Samad, an ex-Member of Parliament, won from the Harbour area during the 1958 urban local body polls. Fathima bagged 6,347 of 11,443 votes in her ward.
“It is a historic moment for IUML as we contested only from one ward and won. This is a silent answer to the ongoing hijab fiasco. Also, this is my first political campaign. I have been a social activist largely and hope to do the same as a councillor — serve the public,” said Fathima, who is also the national president of IUML’s women’s wing.
With numerous colleges, a prestigious stadium and four slums in her ward, Fathima says she wishes to bridge the gap between the elite and downtrodden.
“I want to implement a lot of youth programmes. Since this ward has good population of youth, it is crucial. Apart from this, social equality and communal harmony will always be at the forefront.”
Fathima’s family has been in politics for three generations.
Her grandfather, Moulana Abdul Hameed Baqavi was a freedom fighter and reportedly the first person to translate the holy Quran into Tamil.
She has also won a lot of awards in the field of social service for her work on women’s empowerment and education, especially in the Muslim community.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities>Chennai / by KV Navya, Express News Service / February 22nd, 2022
