Filmmaker, Aisha Sultana has been booked for sedition after Lakshadweep unit of BJP filed a complaint against her for her comments about BJP’s imposition in the island. She spoke on the matter during a panel discussion for a Malayalam news channel. The petition was filed by Abdul Khader, BJP Lakshadweep Unit’s President, on the grounds that Sultana had allegedly stated that the Centre was using Covid-19 as a “bio weapon” on the people of Lakshadweep. Sultana has been booked under Sections 124 A (sedition) and 153 B (hate speech).
The Lakshadweep Sahithya Pravarthaka Sangham, in a statement has condemned the sedition case, and have backed Sultana on her statements, saying that she is pointing out the “inhumane” measures the administration has been undertaking.
Last year, Lakshadweep had zero cases of Covid-19 almost throughout the year. This was largely due to a strict quarantine system in place for travelers in Kochi. However, with new administration coming into place i.e. that of Praful Patel’s appointment last December, the Covid-19 policy changed to accommodate incoming of more travellers and to suit the interests of the tourism industry in Lakshadweep. This was carried out despite protests of the locals. The result was that Covid cases started to increase in the Island with time, and above 9000 cases have been recorded since.
Praful Khoda Patel is a member of Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP). He was appointed the Administrator of Lakshadweep on December 5, 2020. After his appointment, several new legal provisions related to beef-eating, animal slaughter, fishing practices, and personal property, have either been implemented or proposed. Protesters have complained that the government did not engage with the local elected representatives and local populations, or consider their demands before going forward with administrative decisions.
Read: What is behind the simmering protests in Lakshadweep?
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[…] High Court on Thursday granted interim protection from arrest for a week to Lakshadweep filmmaker Aisha Sultana in the sedition case registered against her over her “bioweapon” remark during a television debate earlier […]