When Kavya was on her way to her friend Sham Sheena’s house to eat biryani on Eid ul Adha, she had no idea that the police would get involved.
Kavya (21), a Hindu, and Sham Sheena (22), a Muslim, met while working at a clothing store four years ago and grew close.
They reside in the villages of Golt Hadi and Ramnagar, which are each around 20 kilometers apart, in the Dakshina Kannada region of Karnataka. They are familiar with one another’s families and frequently visit each other’s houses.
Kavya was invited to a biryani feast by Sham Sheena on July 12, the second day of Eid ul Adha. The events that followed startled the women and their families and exposed Hindutva groups’ active efforts to stifle cross-community interactions.
Kavya’s brother usually dropped her off at Sham Sheena’s house. However, he had another appointment that day, so he dropped Kavya off halfway to Sham Sheena’s home in Upananda town. From there, Sham Sheena arrived to fetch her up. They boarded a bus and rode to Athoor town, where they arrived and went shopping for chicken. To get home, they next rented an autorickshaw.
They noticed another car was following them on the way home. They got out of the car when they were about five minutes from their house because the driver stated he needed to take care of something else.
The second car, which was empty, kept driving after them. They also observed some males riding two-wheelers were trailing them.
They saw a man staring at them “oddly” when they stopped at a store.
After they arrived to Sham Sheena’s house, more than 20 to 30 members of the Bajrang Dal gathered a short distance away.
Three police officers—two male and one female—arrived at the Shawsheen’s’ house at around one o’clock. For her brother Ziyad, they asked. They informed the police that he wasn’t present.
Sham Sheena was informed by the police that there is information to suggest that her brother has “brought a Hindu girl” home.
According to Kavya’s account in The Wire, the police later told her that they had been “advised” that Sham Sheena’s brother had brought her there.
You’re telling lies. Which vehicle is his? The police requested him to come out. Ziyad had not visited her house in months because she works in Bengaluru.
These inquiries from the police “left us perplexed,” Sham Sheena said. The cops were informed by her that her brother was in Bengaluru.
Her brother was not the driver of the car that she and Kavya had hired. He did not travel by car.
She explained to them that Kavya was a friend of hers and that she frequently visited their house with the consent of her family.
Then, the officer, who was dressed in civilian attire, enquired as to why the car’s window was obscured. Sham Sheena argued that because it was monsoon season, the drapes were drawn in case of rain. The two women refuted the officers’ claims that they had failed to pay the vehicle charge.
It was up to Sham Sheena to call her brother and announce him over the loudspeaker. Ziyad told the cops he wasn’t even in town, much less at home. For over an hour, the cops engaged in a series of encounters. The Hindutva mob gathering outside the house, according to Sham Sheena, was also addressed by the police.
Kavya was required to accompany the police, who made the demand. This was opposed by Kavya, Sham Sheena, and their families.
They informed her that Kavya’s brother would take her up and was already the end route.
However, the police persisted and put the family under strain. “Even though I said I’d go with my brother, the police compelled me to go with them. They ignored me, though,” Kavya stated. She gave in because she believed that if she remained there any longer, Sham Sheena’s family would suffer.
Sham Sheena told The Wire, “We handed her a packed biryani when she was leaving with the cops.”
Kavya claims that the cops drove her to the Aditya Hotel in Upananda town in a private vehicle. To fetch her up from there, they had phoned her brother.
They gathered her contact information, including her name, age, and phone number, as well as that of her brother. Additionally, the female policeman snapped pictures of her in the car and afterwards with her brother in Upananda.
The police responded, “We thought that the Hindutva group might create disturbance and, in that case, we cannot guarantee protection,” when Kavya questioned why they had brought her along.
Kavya claims that ever since, she has received calls from various unknown numbers. Some came from other places, while others were from Mangalore.
She said that she simply gave the cops her phone number and that she had no idea how it had gotten out. On July 13, she said that some Bajrang Dal members threatened to call her relatives. As a result of Kavya disclosing their names to the police, they would suffer repercussions. They also called her names for eating biryani in a Muslim’s home.
The claim that Kavya offered names to the police is denied. “I have alerted the police about these events, and they advised that I file a complaint if I receive any additional calls,” the woman claims.
The police, according to Kavya, also suggested that she bring a family member with her the next time she intends to visit Sham Sheena’s house.
“My family is familiar with Sham Sheena’s family. They are behind me, Kavya said. Her family assured her that she had done nothing wrong and not to worry.
Kavya said that she was “extremely disturbed” about the entire affair when The Wire asked her how she felt about these circumstances.
“I don’t know why they did this, but they are Hindus. They could have asked me directly if they had a problem, but instead they made a big deal out of nothing. My friend’s brother was requested by the police, and it appears that they were seeking him. When I tried to explain to them that I had come to see my friend, they treated me badly, she added.
Kavya declared that she would not allow the extremists’ scheme to sour her friendship with her pal to succeed.
“I visited their home for Eid last year as well, but it was in the evening. Sham Sheena and I don’t hold caste or religion hatred to be acceptable. I’ll keep going to her place. Her folks are hospitable and friendly. Sham Sheena invited me to the Eid feast because my sister is expecting and she requested biryani.
The Hindutva men who had congregated outside Sham Sheena’s family’s home were the subject of a police report filed by the family.
Four people have been named by them.
The family stated that although the police claimed to have visited their home on the basis of false information, they never really filed a case.
Sub-inspector Anjanappa Reddy, who oversees the Kaaba police station, refused to provide a statement over the phone when The Wire called him.
When The Wire questioned Sham Sheena about the Hindutva group’s possible objectives, she responded, “It emerged to us that it was an organized attack on my brother.
He frequently publishes on social media critical of the BJP, which prompted the Hindutva organizations to wish to target him.
Ziyad, Sham Sheena’s brother, was contacted by The Wire. “I fear for my life right now,” he stated. According to my sister, rumors are circulating that the Bajrang Dal members are threatening to kill Ziyad if he returns to town.
Because of this, a Hindutva group in my town has been trying to complain about me and has even tried to target me. When that failed, they tried to use such baseless accusations to accuse me, Ziyad added.
He further stated that the outcome of the story might have been different had he been present when the cops arrived.
In coastal Karnataka, Hindutva groups are particularly active, and its adherents are against all kinds of inter-community connections.
Although Kavya and Sham Sheena’s friendship would have been accepted in the past, communal polarization has ensured that substantial segments of society no longer support these relationships.
