Who is Aisha Sultana, Lakshadweep activist facing sedition charges?

Ever since the Lakshadweep police registered a sedition case against activist and filmmaker Aisha Sultana, several politicians and activists took to social media to share their opinions and protest against it. The case was filed on the basis of a petition filed by BJP Lakshadweep president Abdulkhader Haji.

Who is Aisha Sultana?

Aisha Sultana is an actor, activist and filmmaker from Lakshadweep. She is a native of Chetlat island of the Union Territory. With the Malayalam movie ‘Flush’, Sultana had made her debut as a director. She has also worked as an associate director of another Malayalam film 'Kettyolaanu Ente Malaakha’.

Often being vocal about social issues of Lakshadweep, Sultana is seen actively protesting against the recent political crisis in the UT.

Read: Kerala HC directs Lakshadweep to frame guidelines on Covid-19 patients' evacuation

Why is a sedition case filed against Aisha Sultana?

On June 9, a sedition case was registered against Sultana by the Kavaratti police because the filmmaker allegedly said that the Centre was using Covid-19 as a bioweapon on the people of Lakshadweep.

The case was registered with charges of sedition (IPC 124A) on the basis of a petition filed by BJP Lakshadweep president Abdulkhader Haji.

She allegedly made the remark during a discussion on a Malayalam news channel regarding the current resentment and protests in Lakshadweep over proposed legislation and reform measures.

What happened after that?

After the complaint, Sultana posted a statement on Facebook saying that her remark was not against the Centre but she used the word ‘bio-weapon’ for Lakshadweep’s administrator Praful K Patel.

“I had used the word bioweapon in the TV channel debate. I have felt Patel as well as his policies as a bioweapon. It was through Patel and his entourage that Covid-19 spread in Lakshadweep. I have compared Patel as a bioweapon, not the government or the country…. You should understand. What else should I call him…”

While BJP workers in the Union Territory protested against the filmmaker's alleged remark, the party workers in Kerala have also filed complaints against Aisha.

However, some actors and politicians have expressed solidarity with Aisha and opposed the sedition charge against her.

K Bahir, the spokesperson of Lakshadweep Sahitya Pravarthaka Sangam, told, “It is not proper to depict her as anti-national. She had reacted against the inhumane approach of the administrator. It was Patel’s interventions that made Lakshadweep a Covid-affected area. The cultural community in Lakshadweep would stand with her.”