‘Toolkit’ case: Disha Ravi sent to jail for 3 days

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Friday sent climate activist Disha Ravi to three-days judicial custody in connection with the ‘toolkit’ case.

The 21-year-old activist was produced before the court amid high security at the end of her five days’ police custody.

Ravi was arrested from Bengaluru on February 13 in connection with allegedly editing and sharing a ‘toolkit’ on social media related to the farmers’ protest.

During the course of proceedings, the Delhi Police told Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Akash Jain that Ravi has been evasive in giving replies during the interrogation and shifted the blame onto co-accused Nikita Jacob and Shantanu Muluk.

The police requested the court to send her to three-days judicial custody, as they have served a notice to co-accused Shantanu, who will join the investigation on February 22, following which both will be confronted.

“She has been evasive in giving replies. We have served notice to co-accused Shantanu who will be joining the investigation on February 22. She has to be confronted with co-accused,” Public Prosecutor Irfan Ahmed told the court.

The prosecutor added, “During the course of interrogation, Disha Ravi has shifted the blame on Nikita and Shantanu. All the accused need to be confronted with one another. That’s why three days judicial custody is being sought.”

The court was also informed that Disha Ravi has moved a bail application which will come up for hearing on February 20.

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”.

On February 14, the Delhi Police took to microblogging website Twitter to elaborate on the case. It wrote, “Disha Ravi, arrested by Delhi Police, is an Editor of the Toolkit Google Doc and key conspirator in document’s formulation and dissemination.”

She started WhatsApp Group and collaborated to make the Toolkit document, the police said, adding that she worked closely with them to draft it.

“In this process, they all collaborated with pro Khalistani Poetic Justice Foundation to spread disaffection against the Indian State. She was the one who shared the ‘toolkit’ document with Greta Thunberg,” the police wrote on Twitter.