Bengaluru-based climate activist Disha Ravi’s arrest has led to widespread condemnation from the opposition as Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday demanded the release of the 22-year-old saying that a young unarmed woman has struck fear in the hearts of ‘those who are armed’ in what can be understood as a veiled dig at Delhi Police.
“Those who carry guns are now afraid of an unarmed girl, now that unarmed girl is emanating rays of courage,” according to translation of the Congress leader's tweet in Hindi.
Earlier in the day, chief ministers of Chhattisgarh and Delhi also demanded the release of Ravi who has been arrested for allegedly sharing a ‘toolkit’ which according to Delhi Police had details about protests to be carried out across India over farm laws. The same toolkit was tweeted by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, but was later deleted after Ravi told Thunberg about the incriminating details, according to police.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal harshly criticised the arrest of the young woman from Bengaluru and said that her arrest is an ‘unprecedented’ attack on democracy. In a tweet, the Delhi CM said that supporting the agitating farmers is not a crime. “Arrest of 21-year-old Disha Ravi is an unprecedented attack on democracy. Supporting our farmers is not a crime,” the Delhi CM said on Twitter.
{{/usCountry}}Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal harshly criticised the arrest of the young woman from Bengaluru and said that her arrest is an ‘unprecedented’ attack on democracy. In a tweet, the Delhi CM said that supporting the agitating farmers is not a crime. “Arrest of 21-year-old Disha Ravi is an unprecedented attack on democracy. Supporting our farmers is not a crime,” the Delhi CM said on Twitter.
{{/usCountry}}His party colleague and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh also condemned the arrest of Disha Ravi saying that the government chooses to punish those who "side with the truth" and "demand equal rights". He also said that the government chooses to term these acts as "against the interest of the nation".
Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel in a tweet condemned Ravi’s arrest and said that it is an act of cowardice on behalf of the government. He also used one of the trending hashtags on Twitter to support the demand for the climate activist’s release.
Kapil Sibal, another Congress leader, said that India is strong enough to not get rattled by a tweet but the arrest of a 22-year-old woman shows that the government is ‘paranoid’. Sibal on Monday tweeted, “Is the state so paranoid that a 22-year-old is a national security threat ?”
Bharatiya Kisan Union's Ugrahan wing too condemned the protests saying that police has chosen to attack those who want benefit of farmers.
Haryana minister Anil Vij chose to condemn calls for Disha’s release saying that it does not matter who the person is but "anti-national" mindset should be "uprooted" from anyone’s mind at a very early stage.
Delhi Police believes that Disha Ravi is one the key conspirators who played an important role in disseminating the ‘toolkit’ that led to the violence on Republic Day. Delhi Police on February 4 had begun investigation ‘against unknown persons’ for fomenting ‘disaffection and ill-will against the Indian government’ under the guise of supporting farmers’ unions in connection with the violence on January 26.