Pics of underwater protests from a small Indian island, which is fighting its local administration

• Public anger has been simmering over a number of controversial proposals floated by Lakshadweep’s administrator Praful Khoda Patel.
• The islanders observed a 12-hour hunger strike from their homes.
• Lakshadweep Development Authority is proposing to develop the island into a major tourism destination.

The smallest union territory of India, Lakshadweep, with a population of over 64,000 is witnessing a widespread protest by locals, for the past few weeks. Public anger has been simmering, in this archipelago of 36 islands, over a number of controversial proposals floated by Lakshadweep’s administrator Praful Khoda Patel.

The new administrator has been at the receiving end of a lot of criticism on the proposals as the locals perceive them as a threat to the cultural identity of the inhabitants.

“All the draft proposals have been in the public domain for more than two months now. Now the Central government will decide on ratification or any changes to the draft proposals. The approval will take some time as the priority of the government is to control Covid crisis,” Patel had said on June 1.

The local residents of the union territory have been expressing their angst against the new reforms introduced by Patel, in many forms. This included an underwater protest and a 12-hour hunger strike from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., on June 7.