Ravi has since received bail.
“In all the years that someone has asked me where I see myself in 5 years, I would never have answered ‘prison’, but here I am,” she wrote in a statement posted on Twitter. “Locked up in my cell, I wondered when it became a crime to believe that the basic elements of food on this planet are as much mine as theirs.”
Ravi’s arrest has sparked outrage from celebrities, including author Meena Harris, niece of US Vice President Kamala Harris and many Indian politicians, who have accused authorities of trying to intimidate and stab a young woman into expressing her mind. .
The toolkit, which was unsigned and publicly available on an encrypted sharing site, instructed people to call government representatives, share solidarity hashtags on social media, attend rallies and sign petitions. It gained visibility after Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg posted a link to it on February 4, accrediting “people on the ground in India.”
However, his release seemed to upset the Indian authorities. On the same day as Thunbgerg’s tweet, Delhi police announced that they would investigate the creators of the toolkit and seek to accuse them of sedition, provoking or inciting a riot and a criminal conspiracy, as they urged followers to “lead an economic, social, cultural and regional war against India. “
New Delhi police have backed the main purpose of the “disinformation and disappointment against the legally elected government” toolkit. Authorities accused Ravi, whose grandparents are farmers, of contributing to the creation of the document, which was unsigned and made available to the public on an encrypted sharing site.
Historically, Indian farmers have sold their goods at auction at the Agricultural Market Committee in their state, where sellers have been 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 goods.
The new laws dismantled that system, allowing farmers to sell their goods to anyone at any cost.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a longtime supporter of free market reforms, said the new legislation would allow farmers to sell directly to buyers or other states without a middle man.
But many farmers say the changes will allow big companies to lower prices. While farmers could sell crops at higher prices if demand is there, many fear they could struggle to reach the minimum price in years when there is too much supply.