Unconditional bail granted for jailed scholar S Lois Sofia who raised 'anti-BJP' slogan at Tamilisai 

THOOTHUKUDI: Judicial Magistrate III granted unconditional bail to the research scholar S Lois Sofia (28) who was detained for raising Anti-BJP slogan during her travel with BJP state secretary Tamilisai Soundararajan. She was remanded based on a complaint filed by the BJP leader. 

On Tuesday, Dr AA Samy, father of the research scholar moved a bail petition. The advocates appeared on behalf of Sofia, argued on the grounds of freedom of expression. And the magistrate granted her unconditional bail. 

Advocate Athisayakumar told reporters "we are not retracting the complaint lodged against BJP leader and her party men, for passing abusive words at her. She was illegally quizzed for over 10 hours which caused her mental agony. The state human rights council and National Commission for SC/ST must take action against Soundararajan, he emphasised.

Earlier on Monday, Puthukottai All Women Police Station (AWPS) booked her under three sections of 290, 505 (1)(b) Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 75 (1)(C) Tamil Nadu City Police Act,  however magistrate Thamilselvi stroked the section 505(1)(b) of IPC citing it irrelevant, while remanding for 15 days.

Sofia, doing her research in mathematics and Physics at University of Montreal, Canada, was travelling with her parents to Thoothukudi from Chennai in a flight, in which the BJP leader too seated few seats away, on Monday. Sofia raised an anti-BJP slogan when the BJP leader happened to cross her to pick up the luggage in the flight. 

The issue spiralled after Soundararajan sought for an apology from Sofia at the lounge of Thoothukudi airport, and the latter denied it instantly.

The incident went viral in the social media on different hashtags in favour of Sofia. Sooner memes figuring release of Sofia and accusing BJP too spread fast the social platforms.