25 February 2021 10:11 am
NEW DELHI AFP Feb23, 2021-
An Indian climate change activist was granted bail on Tuesday, 10 days after being arrested for allegedly creating a “toolkit” to help the country’s farmer protests that was tweeted by Greta Thunberg.
The arrest of 22-year-old Disha Ravi on charges of sedition --which can carry a sentence of life imprisonment-- sparked fierce criticism from activists and India’s opposition politicians.
Police alleged that Ravi was a “key conspirator” in the formation of the toolkit, which was shared by Swedish climate activist Thunberg on
social media.
The toolkit offers basic advice on joining the protest on the ground and spells out how to show support on social media. Officers said the aim appeared to be to “create disharmony among various social, religious and cultural groups and encourage disaffection and ill-will” against the Indian government.
According to the Indian Express newspaper, a Delhi court on Tuesday found no “palpable reason” to deny bail to Ravi, “considering the scanty and sketchy investigation”.
The protest by thousands of farmers, many of them Sikhs, on the outskirts of New Delhi since late November against new agricultural laws has emerged as a major challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.