The Kerala police has registered a case against activist Rehana Fathima on Tuesday after a video of her two children drawing on her half-naked body started circulating on social media.
Thiruvalla Police in Pathanamthitta district, registered a case, under Section 67 (electronically transmitting sexually explicit content) of IT Act, and Section 75 (punishment for cruelty to child) of Juvenile Justice Act, based on a complaint by a lawyer, Arun Prakash.
Fathima said the video was made to highlight how women need to be open about sex and their bodies in a society where topics like sex and nudity are taboo. She added that these lessons should begin from one’s own home.
She made headlines for her attempt to enter the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala two years ago, had shared a video on Facebook of her son and daughter painting on her semi-naked body on June 19. A post with the hashtag #BodyArtPolitics accompanied the video.
“The feminine body and its nakedness are more than 55 kg of flesh, compared to the male body. A male may be aroused by a woman wearing leggings, while the man standing with his knees bent over his chest and his legs half-naked, forces men and women to approach the body in another manner,” she wrote on the social media platform.
Fathima added: “It is the fake sexual consciousness of society. Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so is porn in the eyes of the beholder.”
The video drew criticism from social media users, with many claiming that the act amounted to child abuse. However, the police have not booked her under the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).
Veteran psychiatrist Dr CJ John said that he does not find any obscenity in the artistic interaction involving a mother and her kids, but raised questions over it being made public.
