Activist Disha Ravi Arrested For Farmer's Protest 'ToolKit'
The Maharashtra government has warned of taking “strict actions” to implement coronavirus-related restrictions amid a rise in daily new cases in the last few days.
Disha Ravi, a 22-year graduate from Mount Carmel College in Bengaluru is a part of a climate activist group called Fridays for Future that was started by Greta Thunberg in 2018. Disha Ravi started the India wing of Fridays For Future in 2019 and heads the organisation in the country. Disha was motivated to become a climate activist by watching her farmer grandparents, who struggled with the effects of climate change.
On 14th February the Delhi Police arrested Disha Ravi for allegedly being involved in the toolkit related to the farmers’ protests against the Centre's agricultural laws on social media. The police said that Disha was the one who shared the toolkit document with Greta Thunberg and that she is a key conspirator in the formulation and dissemination of the document. The Delhi Police said in a tweet, “She started WhatsApp Group & collaborated to make the Toolkit doc. They also collaborated with the pro-Khalistani Poetic Justice Foundation (PJF) on the draft of the toolkit.” Police added that Disha Ravi later asked Greta to remove the main document. According to the police Disha is much more involved than the 2 lines editing that she claims. Ravi was arrested by the cyber crime unit of Delhi Police from her home in Bengaluru.
A court on 14th February remanded the activist to five days in police custody. It also allowed Disha Ravi to speak to her family for 15 minutes and her lawyer for 30 minutes daily while in police custody. She has also been allowed access to warm clothes and books. The court also allowed her access to copies of the FIR filed against her.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha, former environment minister Jairam Ramesh and several activists from across the country criticised the arrest of Disha.
