Lakshadweep Filmmaker faces sedition for 'bio-weapon' remark, reactions follow

Aisha Sultana, a Lakshadweep filmmaker, has been charged with sedition and hate speech for her comments criticising Administrator Praful Khoda Patel's handling of the Covid issue and suggesting that the Centre had employed a "bio-weapon." The FIR was lodged in response to a complaint from the BJP's Union Territory chief.

During a television debate on a regional channel, Aisha Sultana blamed Praful Patel's policies for the island's Covid cases, claiming that the Centre had employed "bio-weapon" against Lakshadweep. In the past, protesters, including Lakshadweep Parliamentarian Mohammed Faizal, have accused the Administrator of removing quarantine protocols that were required for individuals to enter Lakshadweep.

"COVID-19 was not found in Lakshadweep. Now it reports a daily increase of 100 cases. What the Centre has deployed is a bioweapon. I can say this certainly that the central government has positioned bio-weapon," she had said on a Malayalam TV debate earlier this week.

Furthermore, BJP workers took to the streets to protest the remark, and C Abdul Khader Haji, the BJP's Lakshadweep president, filed a police complaint accusing her of making "anti-national" remarks that "tainted the central government's patriotic image."

Aisha Sultana has been candid in her criticism of the Administrator's questionable actions, which have sparked outrage and protests across the islands.

On Facebook, the filmmaker defended her remarks. "They've brought a sedition charge against me, but I'd like to emphasise that the truth will triumph. A BJP worker from Lakshadweep submitted the complaint. I'll keep fighting for the land where I grew up. We have no fear of anyone. Now I'm going to raise my voice "she stated

On social media, the case against her has gotten a lot of attention.

Shashi Tharoor, a Congress member, alleged harassment since the phrase "sedition" was misused.

Designated as Lakshadweep Administrator in December, Praful Patel has been facing criticism for a series of moves he claims will assist establish Lakshadweep as a significant tourism destination comparable to the Maldives.

A new detention law that gives the administration sweeping authority to imprison anyone for up to a year, another law that tries to extend the administration arbitrary property acquisition powers, and a planned ban on cow slaughter are among the reforms he plans. The residents of Lakshadweep, who are primarily Muslims, believe the laws are aimed at their eating habits.

Residents protested with signs in their houses, on beaches, and even underwater on Monday. Many members of parliament, officials, and important figures have spoken out against the revisions. The Kerala assembly has unanimously endorsed a resolution calling for the administrator's recall.