Lakshadweep Leaders Resign Over Sedition Case Against Filmmaker Aisha Sultana

Lakshadweep BJP leaders resign: Lakshadweep-based filmmaker and actor Aisha Sultana was charged with sedition and hate speech earlier this week for her remarks about the handling of COVID-19 in the union territory. Calling the sedition case "false and unjustified", over a dozen BJP leaders in Lakshadweep have submitted their resignations. The protest against sedition charges is led by the general secretary Abdul Hameed Mullipuzha.

The FIR against Sultana, reportedly the first woman director from Lakshadweep, was registered by the police on June 10. She was booked following a complaint by BJP's Lakshadweep unit president Abdul Khader, which has sparked public protests on the islands. She had remarked that the Centre had used "bio-weapon" against Lakshadweep. More on her here.

The complainant had claimed that Sultana spread false news during a debate on a regional channel. In a letter to Khader, the protesting party leaders said that at a time when BJP workers in Lakshadweep have been protesting against the "undemocratic actions" of union territory administrator Praful Patel, the chief had filed a false and unjustified complaint against Sultana. According to then the aim of the FIR was to ruin Sulatana's family and her future, India Today reported. The letter further stated that the actions taken by Patel were "anti-people, anti-democracy" which can cause "extreme suffering among people". Read more on the case against Aisha Sultana here.

After the case was registered against her, Sultana said that she will "keep fighting" for her native land and her voice will "grow louder" from now on.

Who is Aisha Sultana?

Aisha Sultana is a model and filmmaker from the Chetiath island in Lakshadweep. She has also worked with numerous Malayalam filmmakers. She was an associate director on the sets of the Malayalam film Kettyolaanu Ente Malaakha. She made her directorial debut last year with an independent Malayalam film Flush.

Earlier in May, at least eight BJP leaders had resigned from the party in protest against Patel’s actions, according to a Times of India report.

Feature Image Credit: TFIPOST