Tuticorin: A 28-year-old research scholar was arrested on flight after she called a senior BJP party leader ‘fascist.’
The research scholar identified as S Lois Sophia studying in Montreal University of Canada, allegedly shouted “down, down, fascist BJP, down, down” when she saw Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, BJP president of Tamil Nadu on Tuticorin-Chennai flight, HT reported.
In a video shot inside the airport, the duo is seen quarrelling after the student repeated her comments seeing Tamilsai at the baggage collection point after the flight landed while the police are seen making efforts to calm the BJP leader.
She 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 the other hand, BJP leader Tamilisai simply said he felt threatened by Sophia’s comments. “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.
Protesting against the student’s arrest, DMK president M K Stalin tweeted: “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’.”
Other party leaders too criticized the police for arresting a student.
TTV Dhinakaran and RK Nagar MLA criticised the police for its action. He said: “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 to Tamilisai’s complaint.”