Indian activist’s arrest spotlights crackdown on dissent
By Krutika Pathi, Sheikh Saaliq, The Associated Press
Earth Beat
March 11, 2021
NEW DELHI — To her friends, Disha Ravi, a 22-year-old Indian climate activist, was most concerned about her future in a world of rising temperatures. She was drawn to veganism, enjoyed watching Netflix and spent time on social media.
But her life changed in February when she became a household name in India, dominating headlines after police charged her with sedition, a colonial-era law that carries a sentence up to life in prison.
Her alleged crime: sharing an online handbook meant to raise support for months-long farmer protests on Twitter.