The Spectacle of the Woman Accused

Media narratives—especially when women are involved—can end up amplifying suspicion and weaponising gender

- N.K. Bhoopesh

IN October 1994, when Mariam Rasheeda, a Maldivian national, was arrested from a hotel room in Thiruvananthapuram for allegedly overstaying her visa, it appeared to be a minor immigration violation. Within weeks, it would snowball into what became known as the ISRO espionage case—a scandal wrapped in allegations of national betrayal, intelligence leaks and international intrigue. The political fallout was swift and dramatic, eventually forcing then Chief Minister K. Karunakaran to step down.

But beyond the power struggles and unanswered questions lies another story—one about headlines, gender and the making of a spectacle.

Two Maldivian women—Rasheeda and Fousiya Hassan—were cast less as accused persons navigating a legal battle and more as stock characters in a morality drama. Newspapers splashed their photographs across front pages, embellished narratives with innuendo and framed the story with a mix of nationalism and voyeurism. The language was loaded; the tone breathless. The suggestion was clear: intrigue sells, and women at the centre of scandal sell even more.

In the frenzy of competitive journalism, due process blurred into dramatic storytelling. The women’s identities were reduced to tropes—the “mysterious foreigner,” the “seductress,” the “spy.” The presumption of innocence was eclipsed by speculation. What should have remained an investigation turned into a spectacle and what should have been a legal process became public theatre.