Protests in B’luru, clamour grows over arrest of 22-year-old Disha

NEW DELHI/BENGALURU: Scores of people demonstrated in Bengaluru and Mumbai on Monday against the arrest of activist Disha Ravi for circulating a toolkit on social media supporting the protests by farmers against the agri bills. In Bengaluru, demonstrators, which included prominent historian Ramachandra Guha, held placards calling for Ravi’s immediate release. In Mumbai, around 50 people also demanded that Ravi be freed. Activists have planned more protests across the country over the next few days. The leaders of farmer unions, too, condemned the arrest of Ravi and termed it a government attempt to weaken their movement. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha said in a statement that it is “deeply concerned and anguished about the brazen misuse of police power”.

NEW DELHI: The leaders of farmer unions protesting at Delhi’s borders against the three new farm laws on Monday condemned the arrest of Bengalurubased environmental activist Disha Ravi in connection with the toolkit document on their campaign and termed it a government attempt to weaken their movement.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella group of several farmers’ organisations, said in a statement: “The SKM is deeply concerned and anguished about the brazen misuse of police power by the government in its efforts to weaken the ongoing farmers’ movement. It condemns the arrest of young environmental activist Disha Ravi without due procedures being followed. SKM demands her immediate release.”

The group said that environmentalists like Ravi were aware of farmers’ issues. “India’s young environmentalists do understand and appreciate that unviable farming leads to unsustainable farming too. It is unsurprising that farmers end up adopting unsustainable practices to make ends meet, when their farming gets riskier due to increasingly adverse markets and compounded by climate change...”

On Saturday, Delhi police’s cyber crime unit arrested 22-year-old climate activist Disha Rai from her house in Bengaluru for allegedly sharing on social media the toolkit related to the farmers’ protest and brought her to Delhi.

“...It is this inter-linkage between viability and sustainability that activists like Disha Ravi have understood in their extension of support for the farmers’ protests...Only those who do not understand the issues involved here will feign surprise at why people like Disha Ravi are supporting the movement,” the SKM added.

Protesters at several borders also condemned Ravi’s arrest. Navkiran Natt, 29, a student-activist at the Tikri border point, said: “This is another attempt of the government to weaken the solidarity farmers’ protest has been receiving from across the country...”