On Thursday, Lakshadweep police registered a case of sedition against controversial actor and model Aisha Sultana for claiming that the Modi government had used Covid-19 as a ‘bio-weapon’ against the people of Lakshadweep Islands.
According to reports, a case was registered at Kavaratti police station, based on a complaint from BJP’s Lakshadweep unit president C Abdul Khader Haji. The complaint was filed under Sections 124 A (sedition) and 153 B (hate speech) against Aisha Sultana for making wild claims that the centre was using Covid-19 as a bio-weapon in the union territory.
In his complaint, Khader pointed that Aisha Sultana, a native of Chetlat island, had purportedly said that the Centre was using Praful Patel as a bio-weapon on the island. Khader has cited a recent debate on the Malayalam channel in which Aisha Sultana had made such comments.
In a debate on the Malayalam channel Media One, Aisha Sultana had claimed, “Before centre took care, Lakshadweep had 0 cases of COVID-19. Now, it is reporting a daily spike of 100 cases. What the centre has deployed is a bioweapon. I can say this clearly that the central government has deployed bioweapon against the people of Lakshadweep.”
Aisha Sultana from Lakshadweep in a News room debate @MediaOneTVLive alleges India Govt deployed Covid as a BIO WEAPON against people of Lakshadweep.
— The Communal Dentist©🇮🇳 (@dr_communal) June 8, 2021
She should not be let scott free for such a statement.
Video included with subtitles#CovidIndia #Bioweapon @HMOIndia pic.twitter.com/skHxBjSzld
Through her comments, Aisha Sultana had tried to undermine the efforts to bring development to the Islands. By trying to blame the centre, Aisha was attempting to conceal the crumbling health infrastructure of the islands that had resulted in the increasing number of Covid-19 cases.
The remarks had sparked severe protests in Lakshadweep, especially from the BJP unit. BJP workers had filed several complaints against Aisha in Kerala as well.
Meanwhile, Aisha Sultana has defended her controversial statements saying, “I had used the word bio-weapon in the TV channel debate. I have felt Patel as well as his policies [have acted] as a bio-weapon. 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….”
The unfounded allegations against the central government came in the wake of reforms announced by administrator Praful K Patel, who announced a slew of proposals aimed at ensuring the safety and well-being of residents, along with promoting the islands as a tourist destination on par with the Maldives.