A day after arrest for anti-BJP slogan, Lois Sofia gets bail

Read | DMK chief M K Stalin accuses govt of stifling free speech

Magistrate S Tamilselvi granted unconditional bail to Sofia. Under fire from rival parties for complaining against a student and having her arrested, Soundararajan defended her decision, saying Sofia should not have done that on board an aircraft.

Watch | Tamil Nadu BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan asks Lois Sofia, 28, “How can you shout like that?”https://t.co/pJ1m6YpUY4 pic.twitter.com/bFKaE13c1P

— The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) September 4, 2018

DMK chief Stalin condemned the arrest of Sofia and said he was saddened to know that even shouting slogans against a government is now considered wrong. He recalled that the Supreme Court recently observed that dissent is the safety valve of democracy.

On Monday, a police officer in Tuticorin said the case was being handled by the All Women Police Station at Tuticorin based on a complaint from Soundararajan. “There are IPC Sections 505 (statements conducing to public mischief), 290 (public nuisance) and Section 75 of the Tamil Nadu City Police Act,” the officer said.

Read more| What is Section 75 of TNCP Act?

Tamil Nadu BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan filed a police report.

Soundararajan said “the young and seemingly innocent girl” raised the slogan against the BJP government. “I was on Seat No. 3 and she was on Seat No. 8. When I was coming out after the flight landed, she saw me and suddenly shouted ‘down with fascist BJP government’. When I turned to her, she repeated it. Seeing a very young girl sitting with her parents, I thought I will ignore it. But she repeated it…” Tamilisai said.

She said a person using the word ‘fascist’ cannot be an “innocent” person. “I thought I shouldn’t ignore a terrorist, so I filed a petition,” she said.