NEW DELHI, Feb 15: The arrested activist Disha Ravi made the toolkit detailing digital support for the farmers’ protest against the three farm laws in collaboration with the Mumbai-based advocate Nikita Jacob and Shantanu, Delhi Police said on Monday.
The police claimed that the information was revealed by Disha, who was arrested from her Bengaluru residence on Sunday, during her questioning.
Prem Nath, the joint commissioner of police of the Delhi cyber cell, told media persons that Nikita Jacob and Shantanu along with Disha had created the document. “The email account created by Shantanu is the owner of this doc and all others are its editors,” he added.
He also said that team reached Mumbai and conducted searches at Jacob’s residence on February 11. Information from Jacob’s phone shows that she and Ravi had formed the toolkit and sent it to the Swedish climate change activist to Greta Thunberg on Telegram app. “The aim was to spread misinformation and disaffection. They also sought people’s participation in January 26 violence,” he claimed.
“On February 4, during a social media monitoring we came across the toolkit which had one portion as – prior action – in which there were instructions on how to start hashtags and tweet storms, and targeting Indian embassies,” he said. “It was seen after January 26 that instructions, as given in toolkit, were followed and during initial probe a warrant was issued from a court against Jacob after incriminating documents were recovered from her iPhone and laptop,” he said.
On January 11, pro-Khalistani Poetic Justice Foundation held a Zoom meeting which was attended by Jacob, Ravi and the group’s founder Mo Dhaliwal with a motive “to spread misinformation and disaffection.” Dhaliwal had contacted Jacob through his colleague Puneet, a Canadian citizen, to create a storm on Twitter ahead of Republic Day, police said on the ‘Toolkit’ document case related to the ongoing farmers’ protest.
The senior police officer also said data was also deleted and that Ravi’s Telegram account shows that many links related to the toolkit were also removed. He said since Jacob and Shantanu, a Pune-based engineer who is associated with NGO XR Factor, are absconding so a non-bailable warrant has been issued against them.
Jacob’s house was searched after due intimation to Mumbai Police and incriminating information was recovered. “She was asked to make herself present but she’s absconding,” Nath added.
Separate teams have been sent to Maharashtra and Bengaluru as she’s still absconding. Jacob has moved an urgent transit anticipatory bail before the Bombay High Court seeking transit anticipatory bail for four weeks. She has also sought interim protection from any coercive steps by the police and a copy of the FIR filed against her. The matter is slated to be heard on Tuesday.
“The applicant has no religious, political or financial motive or agenda for researching, discussing, editing and circulating communication packs/toolkits for raising awareness, let alone to incite violence, riots or/and cause other physical harms,” Jacob’s plea stated. She also said that some trollers and bots are circulating her personal information including pictures on social media.
(Manas Dasgupta)
