Indira speaks out at her lawyer Kulasegaran’s rally

IPOH: M. Indira Gandhi, who made headlines throughout a nine-year legal battle against the unilateral conversion of her three children to Islam, appeared at a ceramah here in support of her lawyer and Ipoh Barat candidate M. Kulasegaran.

Despite it being her first time addressing a crowd, the kindergarten teacher seemed comfortable on stage.

However, Indira did not speak about politics.

Instead, the Malaysian nominee for the US State Department’s 2018 International Women of Courage award, talked about her long and exhausting legal tussle with her ex-husband.

In her 10-minute speech delivered in both Tamil and English, she hailed Kulasegaran for helping her family.

“Mr Kula was the only lawyer who was willing to take my case back then.

“He and his team of lawyers never failed to update us about the case.

“They have helped us in many ways, from motivation to financial support.

“He is our hero,” Indira, 41, said to cheers from the crowd at the Dewan Kampung Baru Buntong here.

Former Bersih 2.0 chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan also spoke at the ceramah organised by Kulasegaran.

Kulasegaran, the incumbent from DAP, is facing Dr Cheng Wei Yee of Barisan Nasional.

Indira’s legal saga began in April 2009 when K. Pathmanathan @ Muhammad Riduan Abdullah converted their three children to Islam without her consent.

Her former husband later took their youngest child, Prasana, then 11 months old, from the family home.

Tevi Darshiny, then 12, and Karan Dinesh, then 11, remained with their mother.

In January, the Federal Court ruled in Indira’s favour, nullifying the unilateral conversion in a landmark decision.

It also ordered police to locate Riduan and Prasana, and to return the child to Indira.