The arrest of 21-year-old climate activist Disha Ravi on Sunday triggered anger and disbelief as politicians, advocates and activists called this the Narendra Modi government’s latest attempt to stifle dissent against his “authoritarian regime” by criminalising protests and cracking down on protestors.
Ravi was arrested for sharing and editing a document intended to help the farmers’ protest against the new agricultural laws. The “toolkit” – a common term used by social activists for campaign material – was tweeted by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg in support of India’s protesting farmers on February 4.
Earlier this month, the police, while filing the first information report in the case, claimed the campaign material was aimed at waging a “social, cultural and economic war against the government of India” and creating divisions among various groups in Indian society.
A court in the city on Saturday sent Disha Ravi to police custody for five…