Residents protest. Across Lakshadweep, Monday was observed as a day of protest by islanders, who dressed in black and shouted slogans of “go back” from their homes as Union Territory Administrator Praful Khoda Patel landed there around 2.30 p.m.
Black flags were also raised from some homes as the protests rent the air. Meanwhile, police officials taking the videos of the protest, and also of homes from where black flags were flying
This is his seventh visit by Patel after taking over as the new Administrator. He is slated to stay there for a week.
For a while now, Kerala’s Congress and the ruling Left here have been up in arms and have expressed solidarity with the islanders, who are on a protest mode after new measures and accusing Patel of trying to implement the “Sangh parivar agenda”.
Earlier in the day, Patel on Monday ducked his travel to the island through the Cochin airport, said Congress MPs from Kerala.
Hibi Eden and T.N. Prathapan had arrived in the VVIP lounge of the airport here after getting information that Patel is arriving here on a special flight to fly onward to Lakshwadeep.
“We had information that Patel would land here on a special flight and from here, would take a scheduled Air India ATR flight to the island. But after we reached here, we found out that he is not landing here and instead is flying from Daman and Diu,” said Eden.
“All know that we (Congress) are on a protest against the ‘reforms’ of the administrator, which are against the interests of the islanders. We came to meet him to request him to allow a delegation of Congress MPs to visit the island and also to see that no new rules should be enacted which do not have the concurrence of the islanders,” added Eden, who represents the Ernakulam Lok Sabha constituency, where Lakshadweep has a full-fledged office.
After the Kavaratti Police served a notice to leading Lakshadweep film personality Ayesha Sulthana to appear before it on June 20 in connection with her remarks made on a Malayalam TV channel about the spread of Covid on the island, she filed a plea for anticipatory bail in the Kerala High Court on Monday which will be heard on Tuesday.
In her petition, she said she is seeking anticipatory bail because she fears arrest if she appears before the Kavaratti Police.
“I don’t think I have done any wrong to be charged under charges of sedition. I took part in the TV channel discussion and later I apologised for my remarks,” says her petition.
The notice that has been served on Sulthana by Sub Inspector Ameer Bin Mohammed contains charges under 124 A and 153 B of the CrPC, both of which are non-bailable offences.
The complaint was registered by Lakshadweep BJP unit president Abdul Khader following the TV channel debate on June 7, where she had alleged that the ‘Centre used biological weapons for the spread of Covid in Lakshadweep’, which according to the complainant is anti-national.
Following this action by Khader, several BJP leaders and workers on the island have resigned from the party.
Sulthana hails from Chelath Island in Lakshadweep and is based here. Besides being a model, she has worked in numerous films in Malayalam.
Ever since the new administrator Praful Khoda Patel took charge, the Congress and the ruling Left here have been up in arms and have alleged that Patel is trying to implement the Sangh Parivar agenda in the otherwise calm and peaceful island.
The Kerala Assembly earlier this month saw a unanimous resolution being passed demanding the removal of Patel