Lakshadweep collector says new laws are for development, security; alleges ‘misinformation campaign’

Amid criticism of a slew of measures taken by the Lakshadweep administration in the past few months, the island’s Collector S Asker Ali on Thursday alleged a “misinformation campaign”, The Indian Express reported.

“Outside Lakshadweep, people are protesting with vested interests and propaganda,” Ali said, while speaking to reporters in Kochi in Kerala. “But in Lakshadweep, it’s still very peaceful. Whatever we do, we do it through a democratic process.”

Lakshadweep administrator and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Praful Khoda Patel has faced objections after he introduced a slew of regulations in the first five months of his tenure, triggering a massive outcry among Opposition parties, who have called for his removal. Some local members of the BJP have also opposed the new rules.

The new regulations include a proposed cow slaughter ban, a preventive detention law in the Union Territory – which has one of the lowest crime rates in the country – and a draft law proposing sweeping changes in land development regulations.

Speaking on the draft Lakshadweep Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Regulation 2021, Ali said that like any other state, internal security was becoming a “major issue” in the islands, NDTV reported. He said recently 300 kilograms of heroine, five AK-47 rifles and 1,000 rounds of ammunition had been confiscated.

Notably, the boat from which the…

Read more