Ravi has since been granted bail.
“In all the years someone has asked me where I see myself in five years, I would never have answered ‘jail’, but here I was,” she wrote in a statement on Twitter. “Locked in my cell, I wondered when it became a crime to think that the basic elements of food on this planet are as much of me as theirs.”
Ravi’s arrest has sparked outrage from high figures, including author Meena Harris, the nephew of US Vice President Kamala Harris, and many Indian politicians, who have accused authorities of trying to intimidate and muzzle a young woman for expressing her opinion. .
The toolkit, which was unsigned and available on an encrypted site, instructed people to call government representatives, share solidarity hashtags on social media, attend rallies and sign petitions. It gained visibility after Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg tweeted a link to it on February 4, acknowledging ‘people on the ground in India’.
However, its release appears to have angered Indian authorities. The same day as Thunbgerg’s tweet, Delhi police announced that they would investigate the creators of the toolkit and try to accuse them of rioting, which provoked a riot and criminal conspiracy because they were appealing to followers to waging an economic, social, cultural and regional war against India. ‘
New Delhi police have cited the main purpose of the toolkit as ‘misinformation and dissatisfaction with the legally elected government’. Authorities accused Ravi, whose grandparents are farmers, of helping to write the document, which was unsigned and made available on an encrypted website.
Historically, Indian farmers have sold their goods at auction at the Agricultural Products Committee of their state, where sellers are 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 products.
The new laws took the system apart, but allowed farmers to sell their goods to anyone at any price.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has long advocated free market reforms, argued that the new legislation would allow farmers to sell directly to buyers or other states without a middleman.
But many farmers say the changes will enable large businesses to lower prices. While farmers may sell crops at higher prices if demand is there, many are concerned that they may struggle to meet the minimum price in years when there is too much supply.