Police charges Lakshadweep's first woman filmmaker under sedition law

Kavaratti: Kavaratti police has booked Lakshadweep's first woman filmmaker Aisha Sultana under sedition law on the basis of a written complaint by C Abdul Khader Haji, the chief of BJP unit in Lakshadweep.

Meanwhile, Lakshadweep MP Mohammad Faisal condemned the sedition charge against Aisha Sultana and called it "objectionable". Proclaiming his solidarity with the filmmaker, the MP also said that he would provide legal and political support to her.

Sultana, a filmmaker and actor from the island was booked under the charges of Sec 124-A (Sedition) and 153 B (Imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) over her remarks against Lakshadweep administrator Praful Khoda Patel's mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic in the islands.

Earlier, BJP's Youth wing had filed a complaint before Kerala Police against Sultana alleging sedition.

Sultana had referred to Lakshadweep administrator Praful Patel to a "bio-weapon" during a recent prime time TV debate in Kerala based news channel MediaOne TV. During the debate, she accused that the Centre used Patel against Lakshadweep, in the same way, China used Corona virus against world nations.

She also accused Mr Patel of the rising COVID cases in Lakshadweep. The Island which was a COVID free zone till January 2021 is reporting around a hundred cases these days. She stated that the unnecessary appointment and arrival of new administrator on the island is the cause behind the rise in pandemic cases.

Her words infuriated the BJP's youth wing, Yuva Morcha, to lodge a complaint regarding the same. Yuva Morcha had alleged that Aisha committed treason by saying "the Centre used Covid-19" as a bio-weapon against the islands".

But Sultana later wrote on Facebook to explain that she was referring only to Praful Patel but not the Ventral government, and anyone who heard what she said would know that. The new change in the Lakshadweep administration brought only chaos into the islands and an invasion of the pandemic, which actually came with Patel and his team. She added that Patel de-promoted the medical director in the islands after he informed the Administrator about the lack of medical facilities to fight the pandemic, among other reckless reforms and actions.

In her Facebook post, she also mentions the role she played in fighting Covid on the Island to stress the point that her only intention was the welfare of the Island and its people and she has nothing against the government in the country.

Meanwhile, declaring support to Sultana, a literary association namely 'Lakshadweep Sahitya Pravartaka Sangham', extended their solidarity to her.

In a statement, the spokesperson of the association, K Bahir said that the cultural community of Lakshadweep would stand firm with artist Aisha in her fight against the draconian reforms by the new Lakshadweep Administrator Praful Patel.

Bahir also praised Aisha Sultana for exposing the true nature of the proposed reforms by the Praful Patel administration in the islands.

Also, a Twitter campaign in support of Sultana was carried out on Thursday evening under the hashtag #withdrawSeditionCase and #supportaishSultana, asking for the withdrawal of the sedition case against Sultana.

Sultana who has worked with several Malayalam filmmakers including Lal Jose, is making her independent directorial debut with 'Flush'. She has previously worked as an associate director on the Asif Ali film 'Kettyolaanu Ente Malaakha'.