Delhi police confirmed the arrest of Disha Ravi, who is about 20 years old, in a tweet on Sunday that accused her of being a “key conspirator in () formulating and disseminating the document”.
Tens of thousands of farmers have been demonstrating for months against the new agricultural laws, which they say will devastate their livelihoods.
The toolkit instructs people to call government officials, share solidarity hashtags on social media, participate in rallies and sign petitions. He gained visibility after Thunberg tweeted a link to him on February 4, crediting “people on the ground in India”.
The action seemed to irritate the Indian authorities. On the same day, Delhi police announced that they had initiated a criminal investigation into the creators of the toolkit and would accuse them of sedition, provoking or inciting a criminal riot and conspiracy.
“In this document, there is an action plan (which) on or after January 26, there will be a digital strike and a storm of tweets and also physical action on January 26,” said Special Commissioner Praveer Ranjan at a news conference on 4 February . “Using this toolkit, people were informed (about how to get in and out of Delhi).”
It is not yet clear whether Ravi has been charged, what sentence she faces or when her next hearing will be. There are no publicly available court documents on her case. CNN contacted the Delhi police to provide more information.
“Disha is a dedicated climate activist,” said a volunteer at the Indian branch of Fridays For Future, a global climate activism group founded by Thunberg. “It was difficult to wrap my head yesterday when I heard (of his arrest), I was shocked.”
The volunteer declined to be identified due to security concerns. “This leads to a lot of caution,” she said. “We are asking for a habitable future … It is our right.”
Farmers’ protests
The protests revolve around three new agricultural laws, which farmers say could damage their income.
According to previous legislation, farmers had to sell their products at auction on the Agricultural Products Market Committee of their state, where they were guaranteed to receive at least the minimum price agreed by the government. There were restrictions on who could buy and prices were limited for essential commodities.
The new laws have dismantled this committee structure, allowing farmers to sell their products to anyone at any price.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has argued that the reforms will modernize the agricultural industry, while giving farmers more freedom to do things like sell directly to buyers or other states without intermediaries.
But many farmers say the changes will allow large companies to lower prices. While farmers can sell their crops at higher prices if demand is present, on the other hand, they may struggle to reach the minimum price in years of oversupply.
Thunberg is not the only name known to speak about the protests – international celebrities, including singer Rihanna and NBA player Kyle Kuzma, have also expressed support for farmers.
The Indian government has been angered by the attention of celebrities, strongly criticizing those who express support for farmers online.
“Before we rush to comment on such matters, we ask that the facts be investigated and that an adequate understanding of the issues in question be carried out,” said a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on February 3. “The temptation of hyped up social media hashtags and comments, especially when used by celebrities and others, is neither accurate nor responsible.”
Some activists see Ravi’s arrest as an extension of the authorities’ hard line against those who support the protests.