Kerala Student Rejects Gold Medal to Protest against CAA, Gets Thrown out of Convention

Pondicherry, December 24, 2019:

Rabeeha Abdurehim from Kerala, a gold medal winner at the Pondicherry University, refused her medal as a sign of solidarity with the people across the country protesting against the controversial amendment of the Citizenship Act.

Later, she claimed that she was thrown out of the Convocation when President Ramnath Kovind, only to be re-allowed entry after he had left.

This incident has caused a huge controversy amid the volatile situation that is prevailing after the implementation of the controversial CAA. Soon, rumours started swirling around that Rabeeha, who is a Muslim, was removed from the hall after she had refused to remove her religious head-covering.

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Rabeeha, who is a Mass Communication student, later took to Facebook to clarify the situation. She wrote, "I have dreamt often about the moment I would receive my gold medal and master's certificate fondly. Never did I imagine it would end up being a way in which I could send a strong peaceful message across India. As a woman, as a student, as an Indian, today in my graduation I reject the Gold medal that is awarded to me in solidarity with all the students and public of India who are fighting against CAA and NRC in India."

Calling for peace and unity, the Kerala girl further continued, "This is my way of showing the world what education means to us youth, not medals and certificates but learning the message of unity, peace and standing up against injustice, fascism and bigotry."

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