Actress-turned-politician Divya Spandana, alias Ramya, has been slapped with a sedition case after praising Pakistan. After recently visiting the country for a SAARC event, she countered defence minister Manohar Parrikar’s comment on Pakistan being “hell” saying it is not.
The 33-year-old had said, “Pakistan is not hell. People there are just like us. They treated us very well.” For this statement, a Karnataka-based lawyer Katnamane Vittal Gowda has filed a sedition case against her. He is quoted to have said he is “appalled” that Ramya praised Pakistanis.
Responding to the charges, Ramya told ANI, “I respectfully disagree, Pakistan is not hell, people there are just like us.” Ramya is a member of the Congress, and a former lawmaker from Mandya. “Everybody is entitled to their views and that is what democracy is about,you can’t force your ideology on anyone,” she added.
The Karnataka government is drawing flak for the consecutive cases of sedition being filed in the Congress state. Recently, Amnesty International received a similar case after holding an event on Kashmir where slogans of “azadi” (freedom) were allegedly raised.
