NEW DELHI: Several Indian politicians and supporters of a young climate activist, arrested in India over a farmers’ protest “toolkit,” later shared by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, have called for her release.
A group of people gathered in Bengaluru and held placards seeking her release. Activists have planned more protests across the country over the next few days and the hashtag #IndiabeingSilenced was trending on Twitter.
According to an international news agency, Ravi could not be reached while in custody and her family was not immediately available for comment. Her friends in Bengaluru said they were terrified over what she was going through.
“The Indian state must be standing on very shaky foundations if Disha Ravi has become a threat to the nation,” P. Chidambaram, a leader of the main opposition Congress opposition said.
Bhavreen Kandhari, a member of Thunberg’s movement in India, said the organisation was awaiting clarity from the police before making any statement.
Delhi police confirmed the arrest of Disha Ravi in a tweet on Sunday, accusing her of being a ‘key conspirator in the document’s formulation & dissemination’. The document, publicly available on an encrypted sharing site, provides a list of ways supporters can help the ongoing protests.
The police brought Disha Ravi, also a leader of the Indian arm of Thunberg’s climate crisis-related Fridays for Future movement, to the capital from her home to question her.
The police further informed that the arrest was part of an investigation into how a group of farmers stormed the historic Red Fort. “The main aim of the ‘toolkit’ was to create misinformation and disaffection against the lawfully enacted government,” Delhi police official Prem Nath said.
Police have registered a case of sedition and criminal conspiracy. “The toolkit sought the public to participate in the action on Jan 26 that was the Republic Day of India,” Nath said.
Thousands of farmers overwhelmed police and reached the Red Fort complex in the old quarter of Delhi last month after tearing down barricades and driving tractors through roadblocks.
