Aisha Sultana Let off by Lakshadweep Police After Interrogation

Aisha Sultana had been named in a case of sedition for her comments on Lakshadweep Administrator Praful K Patel.

Lakshadweep Actor Aisha Sultana Calls Praful Patel ‘Bioweapon’, Booked for Sedition

(Photo: The Quint/ Aroop Mishra)

Filmmaker and actress Aisha Sultana on Thursday, 24 June, was let off by Lakshadweep Police after she appeared for interrogation in connection with the sedition case filed against her, reported The Indian Express.

After her interrogation on Thursday, Sultana reportedly said, “Everything is over. I am told that I can go back to Kochi. I will reach Kochi tomorrow or a day after.”

Sultana had been named in a case of sedition and hate speech for her comments criticising Administrator Praful Khoda Patel's COVID-19 handling.

Sultana had been questioned by the Kavaratti police on 20, 23, and 24 June in connection with the allegations of sedition levelled against her by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lakshadweep President C Abdul Khader Haji.

According to a report by The Indian Express, Sultana had undergone an eight hour-long interrogation on Wednesday, 23 June, during which her social media accounts were examined.

“They checked my WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook accounts. They were searching whether I have any links with foreign countries,” Sultana said.

What Was the Case?

The complaint against Sultana, registered by the BJP Lakshadweep president at the Kavaratti police station, referred to a recent debate over the contentious reforms introduced in Lakshadweep, that had taken place on the Malayalam television channel MediaOne TV.

During the discussion, which took place on 7 June, Sultana had stated that the Centre was using administrator Patel as a “bioweapon” against Lakshadweep.

“Before Centre took care, Lakshadweep had 0 cases of COVID-19. Now, it is reporting a daily spike of 100 cases. What the Centre has deployed is a bioweapon. I can say this clearly that the central government has deployed a bioweapon against the people of Lakshadweep.”

Aisha Sultana during a  TV debate

Over the last few weeks, enormous protests have erupted in Lakshadweep over Administrator Patel’s introduction of certain regulations that have been judged as violating the ethos of the indigenous population.

Sultana took to Facebook to explicate her stance: “I had used the word bioweapon in the TV channel debate. I have felt Patel as well as his policies [have acted] as a bioweapon. It was through Patel and his entourage that COVID-19 spread in Lakshadweep. I have compared Patel to a bioweapon, not the government or the country… You should understand. What else should I call him?”

Fifteen Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and party workers had submitted their resignations after a case was lodged against Sultana over her alleged hate comments.

"The BJP in Lakshadweep is fully aware of how the present Administrator Patel's actions are anti-people, anti-democracy, and causing extreme suffering among people," the party workers had written in a letter to the party's chief.

(With inputs from PTI)