Kerala teen who was trolled gets support from CM

Hanan Hamid, the 20-year-old girl who sells fish at a Kochi market to support her college studies and ailing mother, has found more backing from the Kerala government.

A day after she was roped in by the Kerala Khadi and Village Industries Board to promote its Onam-Bakrid Khadi Mela in Thiruvananthapuram, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan reiterated the government's support to her.

"I was happy to see the smile on her face," Vijayan said in a Facebook post after she met him at his office.

He said directions had been issued to officials to ensure protection for Hanan.

Hanan's story went viral on the internet last week, after a Malayalam daily reported on her selling fish, after her college hours at the Thammanam market in Kochi.

The story also set off trolls, with many of them claiming that she had faked the story to launch a career in films.

But soon, support started building for her with celebrities and senior political leaders lauding her resilience.

“I’m the daughter of the government. I’ve been assured all protection a daughter can ask for,” Hanan told reporters after meeting Vijayan.

Three men have been taken into custody in connection with the cyber attack. Hanan is a B Sc student in an Idukki College.