The 21-year-old climate activist Disha Ravi was held by a team of Indian police in Bengaluru, Delhi on Saturday, February 13th, 2020, for allegedly sharing the toolkit of Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg, which is related to the farmers’ protests in the country.
Climate activist Disha Ravi arrested in Bengaluru, Delhi cops say she shared Greta ‘toolkit’. She joined FFF movement as a school kid. We have been told she has been taken to Delhi. https://t.co/24woSj4q4m
— Dhanya Rajendran (@dhanyarajendran) February 14, 2021
Delhi police accused Ravi of sharing the toolkit document with Thunberg claiming that she is a key conspirator in the formulation and dissemination of the document that “indicates a copycat execution of a conspiracy behind the January 26 violence.”
It also revealed on twitter: “She started WhatsApp Group & collaborated to make the Toolkit doc. She worked closely with them to draft the Doc.”
Watch | 21-year-old climate activist Disha Ravi sent to 5 day police custody in Greta Thunberg "toolkit" case pic.twitter.com/48uaowdG51
— NDTV (@ndtv) February 14, 2021
Social media activists have called for a global move to denounce this horrible act and asked world leaders to pressure the Indian government to release Ravi from jail saying that this is democracy as countries are turning into a more dictatorial system. While others tweeted: “Supporting our farmers is not a crime.”
There needs to be global outrage over the arrest of Disha Ravi. This is not an aberration, this is the new norm for the Worlds largest democracy. We are turning into a dictatorship. Your silence will enable this @POTUS @KamalaHarris
— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) February 15, 2021
Arrest of 21 yr old Disha Ravi is an unprecedented attack on Democracy. Supporting our farmers is not a crime.
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 15, 2021
A petition was launched in favor of the 21-year- old activist, who graduated from Mount Carmel College in Bengaluru and the member of a climate activist group called Fridays for Future which was started by Greta Thunberg in 2018.
Sharing a toolkit isn't a crime! People should come forward to save democracy! Sign the petition!https://t.co/0faa81rNR5
— Pranav G (@pranav_whatever) February 15, 2021
Farmers protests in India have been ongoing since August 9th, 2020; Greta Thunberg tweeted a toolkit, which is a social media document that explains the issue and offers action plans; announcing her support to the farmers and encouraging people to sign a petition which condemns the "state violence" against the protesters.
After the toolkit, the police in New Delhi registered a case against the creators of the "toolkit" that was previously shared online by Greta Thunberg. However, the climate activist responded that despite the "hate," she will maintain support for the widespread farmers' protest in India.
I still #StandWithFarmers and support their peaceful protest.
— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) February 4, 2021
No amount of hate, threats or violations of human rights will ever change that. #FarmersProtest
The farmers protests in India erupted after the government’s three farm acts which were passed in September 2020. So far, several rounds of talks took place between the government and farmers represented by the farm unions; all were inconclusive.
