Activist arrested in Bengaluru in Greta Thunberg 'toolkit' case

A Bengaluru based 21-year-old climate activist has been arrested for her alleged involvement in editing and sharing the "toolkit" related to the farmer's protest on social media, police said on Sunday.

She has been sent to police custody for five days on the basis of an order by a Delhi court.

Disha, who currently studies at Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru is one of the founders of the "Friday for Future" campaign. She was arrested by a Cyber Cell team of the Delhi Police from Bengaluru on Saturday, a senior police officer said.

Earlier, the Delhi Police had asked Google and some social media giants to provide information about email id, URLs and certain social media accounts related to the creators of the "toolkit" shared by teen climate activist Greta Thunberg and others on Twitter in connection with the farmers' protest.

The Cyber Cell had lodged an FIR against "pro-Khalistan" creators of the "toolkit" for waging a "social, cultural and economic war against the Government of India".

The case against unnamed persons was registered on charges of criminal conspiracy, sedition and various other sections of the Indian Penal Code, the police said.

Addressing a press conference earlier, a senior Delhi Police officer said initial investigation linked the document with a pro-Khalistan group named "Poetic Justice Foundation".

According to the police, the "toolkit" has a particular section that mentions "digital strike-through hashtags on or before January 26, tweetstorms on January 23 onwards, physical action on January 26 and watch-out or join farmers march into Delhi and back to borders".

The "toolkit" was aimed at spreading disaffection and ill-will against the government of India and creating disharmony among various social, religious and cultural groups, the police had added.