A demonstration in Bangalore to demand freedom for jailed environmental activist Disha Ravi. | Manjunath Kiran/AFP
Let me tell you what the Delhi Police knows. And I do not mean the abstract entity called Delhi Police. I mean every single IPS officer and every constable involved in carrying out the “toolkit investigation”.
They know that 22-year-old environmental activist Disha Ravi is not the prime mover along with the relatively recently formed Canada-based Poetic Justice Foundation (set up in March, 2020) , in a plot to overthrow the Indian government. They know this because the IPS officers at least, can read English and a simple search would show them that the term “toolkit” in this context is basically used by organisers of street protests against autocracies the world over, for peacefully expressing mass dissent.
The January 26 Violence Was a Result of Police Incompetence, Negligence and Chaos By Design
The events of January 26 are reflective of shrinking patience with a government which is increasingly being seen as insensitive and is blatantly misusing state machinery to curb dissent.
Farmers listen to a leaders speech during the ongoing protest at Tikri border, a day after the farmers tractor rally, in New Delhi, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021. Photo: PTI/ Kamal Kishore
Rights28/Jan/2021
At the very outset, let me state that I condemn violence of all types, including violence by or against protesting farmers in Delhi on the 72nd Republic day.
I saw Nishan Sahabs, the Indian tricolour, flags of anti-corruption activists, but no sign of Khalistan pennants Praveen Swami January 27, 2021 19:46:05 IST Tens of thousands of protesting farmers drove long lines of tractors into Delhi on Tuesday, breaking through police barricades, defying tear gas and storming the historic Red Fort as the nation celebrated Republic Day. AP Free entry today , someone shouted, free entry, free entry . A couple from Amritsar posed for a selfie in front of the magnificent Lahori Gate, from where Emperors once passed in ceremonial processions from the Red Fort into the great city of Shahjehanabad.
Nihangs, members of medieval Sikh martial order, performed a sword-dance on the podium on Red Fort’s ramparts, from where Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru delivered his first Independence Day speech, on August 16, 1947 a day after, you might not