Kochi: Lakshadweep Police has booked filmmaker Ayesha Sulthana on sedition charges following a complaint by a BJP leader over her ‘biological weapon’ remark during a television debate. The complainant– BJP’s Lakshadweep unit president Abdul Khader– said she was spreading false news about the spread of COVID-19 in the union territory. According to the FIR lodged by the Kavaratti police, a case under sections 124 A (sedition) and 153 B (hate speech) of the Indian Penal code has been registered against the filmmaker.
In his complaint filed with the Kavaratti police on Wednesday, Khader said Sulthana, during a debate in a Malayalam TV channel, had alleged that the Central government used biological weapons for the spread of COVID-19 in Lakshadweep.
The BJP leader, in his complaint, has alleged that Sulthana’s was an anti-national act, which tarnished the “patriotic image” of the central government. He sought action against her.
On Thursday, the BJP staged a protest in the islands seeking action against the filmmaker.
The Lakshadweep-based model and actor Sulthana has worked with several Malayalam filmmakers. Sulthana hails from Chetiath island in Lakshadweep.
Lakshadweep has been witnessing protests by various political parties since the administration started implementing reform measures in the islands.
(With agency inputs)