A student of Pondicherry University, who completed her masters in Mass Communication, rejected her gold medal in solidarity with students who are protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC).
In an Instagram post, Rabeeha Abdurehim said this was her 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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Rabeeha Abdurehim told The Telegraph it was something she could do “in solidarity with all the students who bore the brunt of the security forces’ crackdown for protesting at Jamia Millia Islamia, Aligarh Muslim University and other institutions over the act and the NRC.”
She refused to accept the gold medal, but received her degree certificate.
The student alleged that she was asked to leave the auditorium when President Ram Nath Kovind arrived and was only allowed back inside after the President left. In her Instagram post, she also said that no one told her why she was sent outside.
She also wrote a Facebook post describing the incident:
Later, talking to News18, she said she doesn’t know why she was asked to leave. “Maybe because of my opposition to CAA and for having participated in protests over the issue. When I asked the police officers why was I not being allowed to take part in the event, they said they were not sure, but the SSP wanted it this way,” she was quoted as saying by News18.
SI Humayun, officer-in-charge, Pondicherry University, told The Hindu that the student’s decision to not receive the medal was her “personal decision”.
“All we know is that there was commotion in the hall and she was asked to leave. She was allowed back after departure of the President,” he added.