Hyderabad: Disha Ravi, a 21-year-old climate activist from Bengaluru was arrested on Sunday for her alleged role in sharing a "toolkit" on social media related to the farmers' protests. Disha is under 5-day police custody.
Delhi Police have said that Disha Ravi is an editor of the "toolkit Google doc" and accused her of being a key conspirator in the document's formulation and dissemination. Police have also accused the activist of distributing the toolkit which was later used by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.
The Swedish climate activist had shared a Google document called the "toolkit" on Twitter on February 5 but soon deleted that post. She later shared another "updated" version of the document on her social media which was shared widely. Police had subsequently lodged an FIR against "pro-Khalistan" creators of the "toolkit" for waging a "social, cultural and economic war against the government of India". The case has been registered on charges of criminal conspiracy, sedition and other sections of the Indian Penal Code.
Non-bailable warrants have also been issued against lawyer Nikita Jacob and engineer Shantanu Muluk, who are absconding, in the case.
So, what is a toolkit that is at the centre of the controversy?
Typically, a toolkit is a document or a booklet which is created to explain a cause or issue. It is a valuable resource that can be used to sustain a campaign on a certain issue. It can also include a plan of action for the campaign.
Toolkits are meant to offer practical advice and guidance regarding an issue of concern or importance—especially when the issue is emerging or evolving.
A toolkit can also provide information on what one needs to do to address and understand an issue. The document might include information about basic issues, petitions, details about protests and mass movements around.
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The toolkit shared by Greta Thunberg states, “This is a document meant to enable anyone unfamiliar with the ongoing farmers protests in India to better understand the situation and make decisions on how to support the farmers based on their own analysis."
The document listed a series of actions, including creating a Twitter storm and protesting outside Indian embassies, to be taken to support the farmers' protest.
Why is this toolkit under police radar?
According to Delhi police, the “toolkit” shared by Greta Thunberg and edited by Disha Ravi has a particular section that mentions “digital strike-through hashtags on or before January 26, tweetstorms on January 23 onwards, physical action on January 26 and watch-out or join farmers march into Delhi and back to borders”.
Delhi Police officials have said the toolkit backing the farmers' agitation was shared with the aim of "tarnishing the image of India" and collaborated with "pro-Khalistani" elements.
Delhi Police had earlier asked Google and other social media giants to provide information about e-mail id, URLs and social media accounts related to the creators of the "toolkit" shared by Thunberg and others on Twitter in connection with the farmers' protest.
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This was following the clashes on January 26 during the farmers' tractor parade on January 26 in the national capital. Over 500 police security personnel were injured while one protester died during the Republic Day violence.
Farmer protests against three farm laws
The farmers' protest against the three farm laws at Delhi borders has entered its third month. Thousands of farmers, especially from Punjab, Haryana and parts of Uttar Pradesh, are agitating seeking repeal of the new laws, introduced by the Centre last year, saying they are pro-corporate and could weaken the mandi system.
The 11 rounds of the talks between the Centre and 41 protesting farmer unions have, so far, remained deadlocked even though the former has offered concessions including suspension of the legislations for 18 months, which the unions have rejected.
(With inputs from agencies)
