New Delhi: A 21-year-old climate activist, Disha Ravi, was on Saturday arrested by the Delhi Police from Bengaluru for allegedly sharing the ‘toolkit’ related to farmers’ protest that was popularised by Greta Thunberg on Twitter. While the entire country raised an outrage against the ‘unprecedented attack on democracy’ on various social media platforms, Disha’s mother, shocked and helpless, said she knew exactly what was happening and did not want to comment now. According to reports, Disha Ravi’s mother is seeking legal advice before speaking to the media about the arrest.
Manjula Ravi, Disha’s mother, told The Times of India, “We know what’s happening. We don’t want to speak to the media at this juncture.”
“We have taken opinion from our lawyer to proceed further in the legal battle and it is too early to react over the incident,” she told The New Indian Express on call.
“Most of us are newcomers here. Disha would take her dog out in the mornings and evenings. The mother and daughter have a small garden outside their compound. They would attend to it every day,” a neighbour said while speaking to TOI.
Who is Disha Ravi and what happened?
Disha Ravi, a 21-year-old climate activist from Soladevanahalli area of Bengaluru, was listed as a “key conspirator” by the Delhi Police for her alleged role behind the controversial ‘toolkit’ which, the police said, was behind the January 26 violence in the national capital.
A graduate from Mount Carmel College in Bengaluru, Disha Ravi has been featured in publications across the world as a young activist voicing her strong opinions about the environmental crisis in India. She is a popular name in important climate forums frequented by youth activists across the globe. Ravi has been writing columns and articles in leading news portals on climate action and refers to self as a co-founder of Fridays For Future, India.
“Disha was legally arrested by Delhi police. She was detained before her mother when the duo was in their house. Delhi police also informed the Soladevanahalli police before she was taken to Delhi on Saturday itself as a legal process.” said Dharmender Kumar Meena, DCP (North).
The Delhi Police said the young activist was at the centre of the document’s formulation and dissemination and said that she started a WhatsApp group and collaborated to draft the document, which was then shared as a Toolkit Doc with popular teen climate activist Greta Thunberg.
Divulging details, the Delhi Police issued a statement and said that she asked Greta Thunberg to remove the main Doc after its incriminating details accidentally got into public domain. This is many times more than the 2 lines editing that she claims.