Toolkit: Disha Ravi was arrested on Saturday from Bengaluru (File)
New Delhi:
Activists Disha Ravi, Nikita Jacob and Shantanu Muluk have been accused by the Delhi Police of collaborating with the pro-Khalistani group Poetic Justice Foundation for the creation of the “Toolkit” document – shared earlier this month on Twitter by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg in support of the ongoing farmers’ protest — to “spread disaffection against the Indian state”. While Ms Ravi, 22, has been arrested, non-bailable warrants have been issued against the other two activists. Ms Jacob has approached the Bombay High Court seeking protection from arrest for four weeks.
Disha Ravi
Disha Ravi is a Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru, graduate. She is a climate activist. Her unverified Twitter account – being handled by a friend since her arrest – describes her as a “youth climate activist” and the founder of Fridays For Future India – a group reportedly associated with Greta Thunberg’s climate advocacy group Fridays For Future. She was arrested from her home in Bengaluru on Saturday on conspiracy and sedition charges and produced in a Delhi court yesterday. The police allege she was a key conspirator and, in an attempt, to revive a Khalistani group, prepared and spread the document. “I did not make the Toolkit. We wanted to support the farmers. I edited two lines on February 3,” she told the court on Sunday.
Nikita Jacob
Nikita Jacob’s LinkedIn profile says she is a “practicing advocate” enrolled with the Maharashtra and Goa State Bar Council and registered with the Bombay High Court. She is a civil lawyer with interest and experience in advisory work, litigation and alternative dispute resolution. She describes herself as a human right and environmental activist. “Social justice is and will always be the need of the hour,” she had written on her LinkedIn account. She is a graduate from Indian Law Society’s Law College, Pune.
In her request for protection from arrest today, Nikita Jacob has asked for a copy of the FIR and has alleged that the Delhi Police came to her Mumbai home last Thursday with a search warrant and seized gadgets and documents.
Shantanu Muluk
Shantanu Muluk is a native of Beed, Maharashtra. He is an engineer by education, the police said today, adding he runs an NGO. His email account is the owner of the toolkit Google doc, the police said.
The Delhi Police has alleged that Mr Muluk, Disha Ravi and Nikita Jacob had created the document and passed it on to others for editing.
A Canada-based woman, Puneet, had got the three in touch with the banned group, the police claimed. They later had a Zoom meeting on January 11 in which they discussed generating social media buzz for the farmers’ tractor rally on Republic Day.
The police have also alleged that evidence against Ms Ravi had been found from her cell phone data. “Based on information from Disha’s phone and the fact that Nikita absconded, we arrested Disha,” an officer said today.