DishaRavi has been featured in publications across the world as a young activistvoicing her strong opinions about the environmental crisis in India.
However,the 21-year-old climate activist from Soladevanahalli area of Bengaluru wasarrested by Delhi Police's Special Cell on Saturday for her alleged role in theinfamous "toolkit" which, according to police, was behind the January26 violence in the capital.
About Disha
Agraduate from Mount Carmel College in Bengaluru, she has been regularly writingcolumns and articles in leading news portals on climate action and is afamiliar name in important climate forums frequented by youth activists acrossthe globe.
Shedescribes herself as co-founder of Fridays For Future, India.
Inan interview to Auto Report Africa last year, she was quoted as saying:"My motivation to join climate activism came from seeing my grandparents,who are farmers, struggle with the effects of the climate crisis. At the time,I wasn't aware that what they were experiencing was the climate crisis becauseclimate education is non-existent where I'm from. Only when I did my research,did I find out about it."
What is this ‘Toolkit’?
The"toolkit" is a term activist’s use for a campaign informationdocument.
Disha'srole came under the lens of the Delhi Police after Swedish climate activistGreta Thunberg tweeted a toolkit document which the police say had led to theJanuary 26 violence in New Delhi. Though the Delhi Police did not name Thunbergin the FIR, it went ahead to register the case against the authors of thetoolkit.
Disha’s arrest
Thepolice later described Disha Ravi as key conspirator in the document'sformulation and dissemination and said that she started a WhatsApp group andcollaborated to draft the document.
"Inthis process, they all collaborated with pro-Khalistani Poetic JusticeFoundation to spread disaffection against the Indian state. She was the one whoshared the Toolkit doc with Greta Thunberg," said a senior police officer.
However,the Delhi Police also said that she asked Greta to remove the main documentafter its incriminating details accidentally leaked into the public domain.This is many times more than the two lines editing that she claims, they said.
TheDelhi Police had registered an FIR on February 4 on charges of sedition,criminal conspiracy and promoting hatred among groups under Sections 124-A,120-A and 153-A of the Indian Penal Code against the "creators" ofthe 'toolkit', which was shared by Thunberg.
AfterDisha Ravi has been sent to police remand for five days, sources in DelhiPolice said that more arrests are likely, based on the investigation of thearrested accused.
Broke down in courtroom she tweeted!
Ina series of tweets on Sunday late evening, the activist said that she brokedown in court room and told judge that she had merely edited two lines in thetoolkit and she was simply supporting farmers.
Shealso lashed out the government of India and said shame on so called largestdemocracy.