On Monday night, Sajitha Madathil, theatre and film actor, speaks tiredly. She’s spoken much about her nephew Alan Suhaib – 'Alan vava' to her. Alan and Thaha Fasal, two law students, were arrested by the Kerala police for allegedly distributing pro-Maoist materials, and charged under UAPA (Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act).
Sajitha went to see Allan in the jail, told the media that she believes he has done no wrong. “All we can do now is expect that he would get bail, that UAPA would be removed, but don’t know what the police would do,” she tells TNM on a phone call.
Hours after the call, Sajitha had to put a Facebook post about the abuse she is facing on social media. “I had thought of ignoring it entirely, in between all these problems. But they are getting worse. Posts attacking me personally are coming from the profiles of high court lawyers, extreme right wingers and big fans associations,” Sajitha writes.
The posts are attacking her for her earlier stand on Sabarimala. Some posts also criticised her comments to the media about Alan being sad about the Kashmir issue. Sajitha in an interview had said that it is only because Alan reads extensively that he was able to form an opinion on the Kashmir issue. One such post against her and Alan claims that only Pakistanis would feel depressed about the Kashmir issue, and if an Indian does, he would be an Islamic terrorist.
Sajitha, in her call to TNM, predicted that mothers would now be scared to let their children go out or read books. “They would tell their children to study only what’s taught at school. They would be scared to raise them as socially responsible or kind citizens.”
Alan had seemed brave when she visited him, Sajitha says. “But it is the bravery of a 20-year-old. He belongs to that young vibrant generation who are a curious lot. But now he has been labelled of doing such a terrible deed.”
On an earlier Facebook post, the actor wrote: “Tomorrow you would be taken to the Viyur jail. When I take clothes for you, your red ‘mundu’s scare me. White ‘mundu’s are enough right? Don’t you want books to read in the night? Which books should I pack? Or, you needn't read anymore. I am afraid to bring books to you. We can stop our political discussions, vava.”