On the backdrop of the arrest of a 21-year-old activist in connection with the 'toolkit' case, Congress leader Anand Sharma said agencies should be cautious and action against any citizen should be on the basis of evidence during a meeting of the Standing Committee on Home Affairs.
Sources said Sharma, who is the chairman of the committee, flagged the issue of arrest of individuals in the meeting that was attended by officers of NIA, Delhi Police, IB and the Home Ministry secretary. Sharma further said action against any organisation would have international ramifications in this age of digital news.
"Once flashed it is amplified internationally and therefore agencies need to be armed with evidence so that the image of the country is not hurt," he said.
"Agencies should be cautious and action against any citizen should be on basis of evidence as it has the potential to stigmatise the person for life," the Congress veteran stressed.
The remarks come amid the arrest of activist Disha Ravi and non-bailable warrants being issued against lawyer Nikita Jacob and engineer Shantanu Muluk for allegedly sharing the "toolkit" on social media.
The "toolkit" has come under scrutiny by Delhi Police after it was posted by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg in support of the farmers' protests.
According to sources, Sharma further said that agitations happen in a democracy but "no one can destabilise the country". "India is a strong country, rule-based democracy and no individual or organisation has the potential to destabilise our country," he said.
Referring to a report by a US-based firm that said "evidence" found by investigators in the laptop of activist and Elgaar Parishad case accused Rona Wilson were "planted" using a malware, Sharma said, "Recently, there have been instances to use malware to plant evidence that has not stood the test of forensic scrutiny."