Sun 14 February 2021:
The special cell of Delhi police has arrested a 21-year-old climate activist in Bangalore for allegedly spreading the ‘toolkit’ that was tweeted by Swedish climate activist and global icon Greta Thunberg. She has been sent to a five day judicial custody after being produced before a magistrate at Patiala House court in Delhi.
Reports said Disha Ravi, co-founder of a pro-environment group ‘Fridays For Future’ (FFF), was picked up from her home which is located in Soladevanahalli police limits by a team of Delhi Police’s special cell on Sunday afternoon in a secret manner.
“The family does not know whether she has been arrested in the case or has been picked up for questioning or what is the nature of the police action,” a lawyer was quoted by Scroll as saying. “We are hoping that she will be produced before a magistrate today.”
According to the Hindu, Ravi has been brought to Delhi and formally arrested.
“We have found that she made several changes in the toolkit related to farmers’ protests and further spread it in certain groups on social media,” a police officer was quoted as saying by the newspaper. The report said that police had also seized her laptop and mobile phone during the raid.
On February 4, Delhi Police filed a case of sedition after a toolkit was tweeted by Thunberg. The police said the case was registered against the unnamed creators of the toolkit and launched an investigation.
The toolkit, according to Thunberg, “is a booklet or document created to explain a cause or issue” that helps identify “approaches to address the issue from the grassroots level”.
The authorities maintain that the toolkit is a part of a global conspiracy being hatched against Indian government amidst the ongoing farmers’ protests in the country against the government’s pro-corporate agrarian reforms.
Newsminute, a Bangalore based news outlet, cited a source saying that Delhi Police have accused Ravi of contributing written material for the toolkit.
Ravi is a graduate in business administration and works as culinary experience manager in a private company besides being associated with FFF.
The news of Ravi’s arrest triggered public outrage with activists denouncing the move.
Youth based Environmental Collectives issued a statement condemning the arrest on “false and clearly fabricated charges” in the toolkit controversy case. The statement said the police are “trying to make her a target”.
The release said the collective is “actively supporting the farmers’ protests- because it is our belief that agriculture and environment are deeply interlinked issues” and toolkits are “technological tools that help people situated in different geographical locations to work together”.
The collective appealed to the government “to stop viewing everyone who disagrees with its policies as enemies and rather learn to work with the people who have elected them to power.”
Youth-based Environmental Collectives issued a statement condemning the arrest on “false and clearly fabricated charges” in the toolkit controversy case. The statement said the police are “trying to make her a target”.
The release said the collective is “actively supporting the farmers’ protests because it is our belief that agriculture and environment are deeply interlinked issues” and toolkits are “technological tools that help people situated in different geographical locations to work together”.
The collective appealed to the government “to stop viewing everyone who disagrees with its policies as enemies and rather learn to work with the people who have elected them to power.”
-clarionindia
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