Maid issued ‘fatwa’ by employers in Bangalore

In an appaling case of taking advantage of the poor’s ignorance, a family deprived their house maid of her livelihood by issuing a fatwa. The maid, Manjula who had migrated to Mangalore in search of work from Hubli, is now caught in a trying situation which can rob her of much more than just a livelihood.

Manjula was forced to stamp her fingerprint on a blank paper by her employer Reshma, who also threatened to charge her of any crime, from a common burglary to a serious offence, if she divulged the information to anyone.

Reshma and her mother Ahalya had employed Manjula at their residence in Urva, and did not approve of her working in two other apartments of the same block. They threatened to forbid her entry into their house if she continued to work there, stating their own reasons for the same.

Manjula’s husband, Basavaraju had been working as a security guard in the same block. Recently, he had gone to Hubli for some personal work, but was shocked to hear of the developments in his absence.

Basavaraju and Manjula have now filed a joint complaint at the Urva police station. Human rights activists have taken up their case and are planning their course of action against Manjula’s employers.