Kamal Haasan condemns Disha Ravi's arrest, asks govt to stop atrocities in name of treason

Makkal Needhi Maiam's (MNM) permanent president Kamal Haasan expressed shock over the arrest of activist Disha Ravi from Bengaluru and slammed the Centre for suppressing the voice of dissenters citing treason. Haasan joined the bandwagon of Opposition leaders condemning the arrest of the 21-year-old who was allegedly involved in the disseminating of the 'toolkit' related to the farmers' protests. Condemning Disha Ravi's arrest, Kamal Haasan remarked that threatening students who were protesting for the common good with treason was a British-era tactic and said that it was a shame that it continued till date. 

READ | Congress Targets Judiciary Over Disha Ravi's Arrest; No Word On 'UAPA' Chat with Greta

Further, the actor-turned-politician said that politics shouldn't have a negative impact on students in the country. The MNM chief urged the students to defeat the 'dictatorship' with resilience while also calling for a public debate to discuss the 'threatening law'. Taking to Twitter, Kamal Haasan termed the arrest of Disha Ravi in the name of treason as an atrocity against the freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution of India.

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Other Congress leaders, including Udit Raj and KTS Tulsi, condemned the arrest of the 21-year-old activist from Bengaluru. Congress MP Udit Raj claimed that the judiciary had been compromised and questioned the role of the judges over Disha Ravi's arrest. KTS Tulsi, meanwhile, alleged 'misuse of power' the government to target dissenters, advising the government to follow the normal procedures. The Delhi CP has denied any breach of procedure and stated that the law doesn't differentiate based on age. 

READ | Can We Not Say Anything For A While?: Disha Ravi-Greta Thunberg's 'toolkit' WhatsApp Chat

Disha Ravi sent to 5-day police custody; Chats emerge

Disha Ravi - who was picked up by the Delhi Police in Bengaluru  - was sent to police custody for five days by the Patiala House Court on Sunday. Disha, the co-founder of Fridays for Future (FFF), was arrested by the special cell of the Delhi Police from Bengaluru for allegedly disseminating the 'toolkit' related to farmers' protests on social media- the same one shared by climate activist Greta Thunberg. Arguing at the Court, the public prosecutor claimed that Disha Ravi had edited the toolkit on February 3 and also said that her mobile had been recovered and that data was yet to be retrieved. 

The public prosecutor also alleged a large conspiracy against the government of India to rebuild the pro-Khalistan group via the toolkit and claimed that there were thousands of people involved in it. In her defence, Disha Ravi claimed that she had edited just two lines of the toolkit and said that she was influenced by the farmers' protests and thereby extended her support to them. The 21-year-old activist claimed that every party, including the BJP had their own toolkit and that she was not aware of any large conspiracy behind the toolkit shared by Greta Thunberg. 

In messages allegedly exchanged between Disha and Greta, however, it becomes clear that Disha was aware of the danger in their actions, as she even asked Greta to not speak of the toolkit further as UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) could be applied, and that she would consult her lawyers

READ | Delhi Police Arrests Bengaluru Activist Disha Ravi In Probe Into Greta-shared 'toolkit'