Disha Ravi Case: Massive Protest In Bengaluru Against Arrest; Ramachandra Guha Also Present
Hundreds of students along with a group of activists and lawyers have been protesting against the detention of 22-year-old climate activist Disha Ravi since Monday at the Mysore Bank Circle in Bengaluru.?
She was arrested over the weekend for allegedly helping create a digital "toolkit" to help people around the world support India's protesting farmers. She was picked up by the Delhi Police from her home in Bengaluru.?
Banners galore at protest?
Banners at the protest site called for Disha's release and criticised the police's decision to charge her with sedition, a law first enacted by the British to suppress political dissent. "Supporting farmers is not sedition," read one banner. "Students, poets, journalists, artists...Who's left? Criminals," read another.
Historian Ramachandra Guha was among the first few who arrived at the protest site at 4 pm. Speaking to TNM, he criticised the ruling BJP over the young activist's arrest.?
"This arrest shows that young people with ideas and passion are being persecuted for their views. We have become a country where if you are non-violent and stand for climate change or farmers, you are arrested. On the other hand, if you violently go from door to door intimidating people to donate for the ruling party, you are free," he said. ?
"This is the regime of our Union Home Minister. Thuggery in?the name of the BJP is allowed and peaceful protests in the name of democracy, human rights and environmental sustainability is a crime," he added.
Massive support from political fraternity?
Congress Jayanagar MLA Sowmya Reddy was also among those protesting. "This is the BJP government sending a message that nobody, be it a 22-year-old activist, be it a 22-year-old woman, nobody will be spared. This is a daughter of our state. She was taken away and the due procedure was not followed. Her mother, family, colleagues are all shaken up. And it is very unfortunate. This is indirectly against anybody who speaks up against those who are ruling, the government," Sowmya Reddy said.
This comes a day after Aam Aadmi Party workers held a protest at Bandra¡¯s Carter Road demanding the release of the climate activist.
Who is she and what are the charges against her?
Disha, who heads up a local branch of Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg's advocacy group, is known for her work cleaning up lakes, planting trees, and campaigning against plastic in her local area, Bengaluru.
Accused of editing the toolkit, she was detained after Thunberg tweeted a link to a document which suggested ways people in countries around the world could support India's farmer protests, including by tweeting at authorities and demonstrating outside their local Indian embassies. The toolkit was a Google document on farmers¡¯ protests.?
Though toolkits are Google documents used to prepare a social media campaign or to plan protests and are routinely used, the Delhi police have registered an FIR under sedition and conspiracy. The police alleged that this toolkit was being used to malign India and Disha has been remanded to five days in police custody.??
