The Indira Gandhi Action Team (Ingat) welcomes with open arms offers of aid from any quarters, including PAS, in a bid to reunite M Indira Gandhi with her estranged daughter, Prasana Diksa.
Asserting that “any help is good help”, Ingat chairperson Arun Dorasamy stressed that Indira had made it abundantly clear that her only wish is to be reconciled with her daughter, whom she has not seen since the child was 11 months old.
“Prasana is now a 17-year-old girl; whichever (religion) that she likes, she may pursue. That is the stance adopted by Indira; whatever Prasana chooses is her choice - Indira will not impose anything on her,” Arun told Malaysiakini.
“At this juncture, we will take any offered help to meet Prasana… a mother has the absolute right to meet her daughter - religion and custody are secondary issues. Whatever decision Prasana takes (on her practised religion) does not negate the fact that Indira is her mother.”
On Dec 29 last year, Sungai Buloh PAS chief Zaharudin Muhammad announced his decision to extend his help to Indira’s search for her daughter, arguing that no religion in the world would advocate for a mother to be separated from her children.
Zaharudin urged those with information on Prasana’s whereabouts, including Indira’s ex-husband himself, to contact him as part of efforts to facilitate talks on a peaceful reunion between the mother and daughter.
The son-in-law of PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang also assured Prasana’s father, Riduan Abdullah, formerly known as K Pathmanathan, that he has no intentions of “disturbing” Prasana’s religious status.
In 2016, PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man had voiced support for Indira, stating that Islamic principles support her fight for custody of her three children, including Prasana, who Riduan had unilaterally converted in 2009.
While the Ipoh High Court granted Indira full custody in 2010, the Court of Appeal had, in 2014, overturned a High Court order compelling the inspector-general of police to recover Prasana.
The Federal Court, in 2016, put an end to the legal wrangle by ordering the police to arrest Riduan and reunite Prasana with her mother.
However, despite a landmark ruling by the apex court in 2018, which declared the children’s unilateral conversion to Islam invalid and reaffirmed Indira’s full custodial rights, Prasana remains missing while the two other children now live with Indira.
Continue working
Arun said that while Ingat has yet to receive any updates from Zaharudin, the action team and its volunteers are continuing to do the necessary work on their end, including by working with and pressuring authorities.
Commenting on Ipoh police’s recent move to appeal for the public’s help in its attempts to ascertain Riduan’s whereabouts, Arun said that while such acts are appreciated, there remains a sense that police are lacking in seriousness.
He disclosed that during a Dec 10 meeting with Khalid Ismail, the IGP had “clearly and expressively” assured that the deputy director of Bukit Aman’s Criminal Investigation Department would be contacting the activist directly to discuss sharing intelligence.
“But, until today, I have not gotten one email, call, or even a WhatsApp message in that regard. There has been no communication whatsoever - how am I supposed to think they (police) are serious?
“They are asking the public for information, but if there is no seriousness, how can we be sure that all information (received) is followed by robust action?” Arun questioned.
He also urged police to publish photographs and information on Prasana as well, highlighting that the public should be made aware that efforts are ongoing to locate the missing child.
Arun had previously said Ingat would be organising a march to the Prime Minister’s Office to seek redress, following the disappointing meeting with Khalid last month.
Also present during the meeting was Indira and DAP’s Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) M Kulasegaran, who has not responded to Malaysiakini’s requests for comments regarding PAS’ offer of help. - Mkini
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