No dignity of labour: Kerala girl trolled on social media for selling fish

A teenage girl from Kerala who aspires to be a doctor sells fish at Thammanam in Ernakulam in the after hours of her day past college. The girl identified as Hamid Hanan stays some 60 kilometers away in Madavana, with her ailing mother. She purchases the fresh fish in the morning and then stores it at a house in Thammanam which is then sold in the evening at a temporary stall.

The girl is currently pursuing a BSc degree at a private college in Thodupuzha and works in order to aid her ailing mother, yet she somehow became a stock of ridicule as netizens found a way to troll her on various social media platforms to the extent of claiming that her struggle story was a way to get popularity while some have even gone on to tag the story as fake.

Her story was featured in a leading Malayalam daily ‘Mathrubhumi’ earlier this week. A video of Hanan selling fish in college uniform also went viral across social media.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, former CM and CPI(M) leader VS Achuthanandan and Union minister Alphons Kannanthanam have come out in support of 21-year-old Hanan Hamid.

Kochi: 21 year old college student Hanan who was trolled on social media over her video of selling fish in uniform after college, says ‘People are making false allegations that it was for movie promotion.I have no other income. My main aim is to continue studies & support family’ pic.twitter.com/J5uaMwT2zK

— ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2018

“Leave me alone and allow me to do any kind of menial jobs to earn my daily bread”, she was reported as saying in an interview with ANI.

Union minister Alphons Kannanthanam who came out in support of Hanan Hamid asked “Kerala sharks” to stop attacking her. The Union Minister sternly reacted to the trolling and took to Facebook to say, “Kerala sharks stop attacking #Hanan. I’m ashamed. Here is a girl trying to put together a shattered life. You vultures!”

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News agency ANI reported that the Kerala Chief Minister’s Office has directed the police to take action against those who have posted allegedly insulting comments on social media against Hanan. The CMO also directed the District Collector to give police protection to Hanan. They even arrested a man for allegedly posting derogatory comments.

Kerala: Police has taken a man from Wayanad into custody for allegedly posting derogatory comments against the 21-year-old college student Hanan (in pic) who was trolled on social media over her video of selling fish in uniform after college. (File pic) pic.twitter.com/oZT2SYHj1c

— ANI (@ANI) July 28, 2018

Many were inspired by the teen and since she was brutally trolled on social media, her college principal and neighbors came out in support of her. They categorically stated that Hanan’s story was true.

Kannanthanam who is also the minister for culture and tourism, praised the girl saying that she was working hard to move forward in life. He compared Hanan to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he too had faced difficulties during his teenage years and fought against all odds to become the PM.

Kerala Women’s Commission chairperson M C Josephine also came out in support of her, saying she would meet the girl.

In fact, Hanan has even been offered a role by a filmmaker, Arun Gopy, in his upcoming movie starring Malayalam superstar Mohanlal’s son Pranav Mohanlal. However, this offer also became a subject for the trolls to target Hanan, alleging she had been selling fish for the movie promotion. The trolls also attacked the filmmaker for making such an offer, but Mr Gopy remained firm on the offer.

Hanan responded to those allegations as well and concluded by saying that “People are making false allegations that it was for movie promotion. I have no other income. My main aim is to continue studies and support the family.”

Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan led the charge against cyberbullies, who had targeted Hanan Hamid even as the Kochi police filed a first information report against a man who allegedly harassed and ridiculed the girl online. More power to her for standing up to them and setting an example!