Scholar who called BJP leader fascist gets bail, father alleges harassment

A research scholar arrested for calling a senior Bharatiya (BJP) Janata Party leader a fascist in a Tuticorin-Chennai flight was given bail on Tuesday as her father accused the police of harassment.

S Lois Sophia, 28, allegedly shouted “down, down, fascist BJP, down, down” when she saw Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, president of BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit, on the flight. She allegedly repeated her comments when she saw Tamilisai at Tuticorin airport’s baggage collection point after the flight landed. Sophia and Tamilisai are seen quarrelling in a video shot in the airport. Police officials are seen trying to calm down Tamilisai in the video.

Sophia, who studies in the University of Montreal, Canada, was sent to 15 days of judicial custody after Tamilisai filed a complaint against her with the airport police.

“My daughter did not make any derogatory comments against the BJP leader. She just criticised the party. It is not a personal attack. Earlier police said that they will release her in the night, but they later asked me to get bail from court,” said Sophia’s father Samy, a doctor in Tuticorin, on Tuesday.

Tamilisai said she felt threatened by Sophia. “While Sophia raised slogans against me in the aircraft, I remained calm. However, even when she repeated the same outside, I felt that I was insecure. I am also having my own rights and privacy, so I lodged a complaint against that girl,” Tamilisai told journalists.

DMK president M K Stalin protested Sophia’s arrest. “If the police want to arrest people for criticising BJP, they have to arrest more than a lakh. I too say this: ‘fascist BJP down, down’,” Stalin said in a tweet.

TTV Dhinakaran, rebel AIADMK leader and RK Nagar MLA, criticised the police too. “It is clear that the BJP government has disappointed the youngsters in the nation. Though Sophia’s father lodged a complaint against Tamilisai, the police have reacted only for Tamilisai’s complaint,” Dhinakaran said in a statement.

First Published: Sep 04, 2018 11:48 IST