By Saiyed Danish, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: Two years ago Sheeba Aslam Fehmi, the Delhi-based women’s rights activist, received a threat on both her Google and Yahoo accounts by a cyber-stalker calling himself ‘a true Indian’. The threat had read: ‘Sheeba Aslam if you do not stop making anti-Indian and anti-national comments on Facebook then be prepared for consequences.’ Sheeba Aslam Fehmi, who is also under police protection since 2007 following an incident in which Muslim right-wing groups ransacked her house, reported the nearest station and informed the police of the mail.
Shortly after the first mail, she received another one which read: ‘I would like to have a personal talk with you there I can cleanse you with all filth you have in mind. Let us meet personally in JNU…’ Both the times the stalker never mentioned for which specific reason he was after her.
File photo of Sheeba Aslam Fehmi.
“The police officer of the Jama Masjid station I had spoken to visited me and told that the stalker has been traced and the laptop owner’s name is Pankaj Kumar Dwivedi and he agreed that he has sent some mails and when the police asked him why did send the message to me he just replied that he did not like what I wrote on Facebook,” shares Sheeba Aslam Fehmi from her Old Delhi residence.
“After that day I decided not to prolong the issue as I did not think it was of any dire consequence,” she says.
Come November 2013, two years later after the stalking incident which according to her, she never took interest in following the issue. When Sheeba discovered that an FIR has been launched against her through a court order.
“A friend of mine called me and asked ‘Sheeba what is going on? There has been an FIR launched in your name’ and then I verified what she said with reports in various newspapers and realized the gravity of the issue,” she describes.
“I consulted an advocate of mine and he confirmed that a case has indeed been filed against you under three sections of…mind you,” she tells TCN “…not IT but IPC. I got a copy of the order through my advocate friend and then only I understood the whole story,” she says.
“The court order acquitted Mr. Dwivedi of any crime by citing that under section 66 he has not used any ‘derogatory language’. What is interesting in this case that I had never cited the language problem but my complaint was about the threat itself? In the court order there is no mention of any threat given by Mr. Dwivedi. This way it becomes quite wonderful as you see a case where the criminal is boldly accepting that he sent the threat mails yet the court did not entertain the main question of threat,” she quips.
“The court order further directs the local police, DCP centre and Jama Masjid to carry out a through enquiry on my Facebook posts, comments and other activities on social media. The order also quoted that some of my posts suggests that I am involved in activities which attracts IPC 153(a), 153(b) and 295(a) in which the last one is the blasphemy law and also mentioned me as a threat to national integration,” she tells.
“Between 2011 and 2013, I was never ever summoned by any court to give own statement or present my defence on the issue. The court order struck me out of oblivion and has been playing on my psychology,” she agitates.
“The comments which nevertheless were cited by the court had nothing to do with harming national integrity or blasphemy. In one of the comments mentioned by the court I simply Sushma Swaraj’s selective political mentality on not counting rapes of adivasi, dalit, Manipuri and riot-affected women as rapes worthy of being talked about. In another comment I said that traditions like Rakshabandhan, Karva Chauth in Hindus or polygamy among the Muslims institutionalize the weakness of women. Court cited this comment of mine as blasphemous but I don’t count this view of mine as blasphemy,” she highlights.
Traditions are not religion as traditions like Sati and Devdasi have been declared illegal now. Similarly many gender-biased laws in Muslim society need to be challenged to make the lives of women better.
“Other comments are on onion love of Hindutva brigade as saints do not consume onion and garlic. Then there are political comments on Narendra Modi’s encounters in Gujarat and the credibility behind Anna’s movement. But these political comments and has nothing to do territorial sovereignty or otherwise or attacking any religion,” she says.
“I don’t understand that the judge quoted my Facebook comments I made in 2013 but question that which comments of mine triggered the threat mail two years ago was not entertained by the court. Despite me being the original complainant the order seems to be going in his favour instead but he was never solemnized by the court not to stalk any woman again. Two years ago I was the victim and now I became the guilty party also. What travesty is it?” she points.
“It is quite ironic that the issue on which I had taken in support of Asiya Bi in Pakistan when she, being a member of a minority community there, was attacked by Muslim extremists, has come back to haunt to me now. Before calling me an enemy of the nation they should take note of this that I have also been attacked by the so-called custodians of Islam and looking back at the Asiya Bi’ case and the pathetic condition of human rights in Pakistan I can go to the extent of saying that I am thankful to be an Indian that so much of support has come for me in my case and so many people from all walks of life are standing by me right now,” she says proudly.
“I also want to civil and human rights societies such as Asian Human Rights Commission that has taken out an urgent appeal for me and the people who have signed the petitions for justice and tremendously responding to the call of support by signing 3000 petitions in two days only,” she counts.
Sheeba Aslam Fehmi got bail on December 7 from Sessions court on this case and has expressed her determination to take the issue of cyber stalking forward.