M. INDIRA Gandhi, who has been looking for her youngest child for more than a decade, is puzzled as to why she is being shunned by the police chief after he promised that mother and daughter will be reunited.

Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador previously promised Indira a “happy ending” after her ex-husband forcibly took away Prasana Diksa 12 years ago.

The top cop had expressed personal interest in the case and given an assurance to Indira.

He later said police knew where Muhammad Riduan Abdullah was and urged him to come forward, so as to resolve the matter amicably.

That promise was made in January, but Indira’s attempts to meet Hamid and get an update have not been entertained.

Speaking to The Malaysian Insight at her family home in Ipoh, the 47-year-old said there has been no progress since the high court’s mandamus order in 2014 for Riduan to return Prasana to her.

“The IGP has acknowledged that he knows where Parasana is, but to date, nothing has happened.

“He said there will be a happy ending, but we are still waiting for that to happen.”

Hunger strike at Bukit Aman

Earlier this week, the Indira Gandhi Action Team (Ingat) sent a letter to Hamid asking that he meet Indira, and if he fails to do so, it will organise a hunger strike in front of the federal police headquarters.

Indira said the group has given Hamid until August 31 to reply. If there is no response, the hunger strike will begin on September 11.

“We hope that by Merdeka Day, he will reply. Ingat chairman Arun Dorasamy and I will be at the hunger strike.

“The symbolic one-day hunger strike will start at 9am and end at 5pm.”

She said the reason for such a protest is because Ingat has tried all other avenues to get Prasana returned, to no avail.

“There is no update on Prasana. Everything is just a question mark.

“I don’t see any another avenue besides this hunger strike.”

Indira hopes the move will get the message across to Hamid.

“If there is still no action, we may hold more hunger strikes in front of Bukit Aman.

“We don’t want our 12-year struggle to be in vain. We want (Prasana) to know that she has a mother and siblings waiting for her.”

The family only have photos of Prasana as a baby, she said.

“We hope to one day take a family photo with all the siblings.”

Indira, a former kindergarten teacher, now works as a home tutor to provide for her 23-year-old daughter and 22-year-old son.

They live in a modest four-room, double-storey house about 15 minutes from Ipoh town.

Longing to be reunited

Indira’s eldest child, Tevi Darsiny, remembers holding Prasana before the child was taken away.

The last time she saw her sister was in court during a custody case in 2010.

“(Prasana) was 1½ years old. I can’t imagine what she looks like now, or what I’ll say when I see her after we are reunited.

“I will probably hug her and cry.”

She, too, is disappointed with police for not acting on the court order.

On the hunger strike, she said her mother has gone through a lot in the last 12 years.

“We have tried everything. If this doesn’t give us results, I don’t know what will.

“We can only do our part, and it’s up to the IGP whether he wants to respond (to our pleas).”

Tevi studied Decision Science at Universiti Utara Malaysia in Kedah and is waiting to do her internship.

Her younger brother, Karan Dinish, has taken up a course on solar panels at a Kuala Lumpur college.

Their grandmother, S. Renggamah, 77, fondly recalls taking care of Prasana until she was 11 months old.

“What more can I say? Please help us get my granddaughter back.”

Indira is suing Hamid for RM100 million for failing to locate her daughter.

Riduan made off with Prasana after he unilaterally converted the couple’s three children to Islam. He is now in defiance of a court order to return the child to her mother.

The court granted Indira custody of her three children after finding their conversion to be unlawful. – August 9, 2020.