FIR on Indian farmers' protest 'toolkit' tweeted by Greta Thunberg
The Delhi Police has lodged an FIR in connection with a 'toolkit' containing information on how to back the farmers protests. The 'toolkit' has been doing the rounds on social media and the document was tweeted out by, among others, Swedish teen climate change activist Greta Thunberg. She deleted that tweet and later reposted an updated version of the toolkit.
Praveer Ranjan, Special Commissioner of Police (CP), Delhi Police, on Thursday evening said, "We haven't named anybody in the FIR, it's only against the creators of toolkit which is a matter of investigation & Delhi Police will be investigating that case."
"Preliminary enquiry has revealed that the toolkit in question appears to have been created by a pro-Khalistani Organisation 'Poetic Justice Foundation'," the police officer said.
The FIR has been lodged under the Indian Penal Code's Sections 124A (sedition), 153A (promoting enmity), and 120B (criminal conspiracy).
Earlier, this week Greta Thunberg took to Twitter to lend support to farmers in India who are protesting against the three new farm laws. The farmers having been sitting at the Delhi border in protest for several days now.
In her tweet on Tuesday night, Greta Thunberg wrote "We stand in solidarity with the #FarmersProtest in India" and shared a CNN article on the ongoing farmers' protest in India and how internet has been suspended around the Delhi borders. Her tweet followed that of Rihanna who brought global attention to the issue.
In a follow-up tweet, Greta Thunberg wrote, "Here’s an updated toolkit by people on the ground in India if you want to help. (They removed their previous document as it was outdated.) #StandWithFarmers #FarmersProtest" and shared a document on details about the agitation.
Following the tweets, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a statement asking people to refrain from sensationalising the issue for the sake of popular hashtags. The Ministry of External Affairs said that it was “unfortunate” that some vested groups are garnering international support.
In a detailed statement posted by MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava, India has said, “Before rushing to comment on such matters, we would urge that the facts be ascertained, and a proper understanding of the issues at hand be undertaken. The temptation of sensationalist social media hashtags and comments, especially when resorted to by celebrities and others, is neither accurate nor responsible."
As soon as India slammed the global icons over their remarks on the farmers' protest, top Indian celebrities such as Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Karan Johar and cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli rallied behind the government to voice their support.
Apart from the actors and cricketers, Union ministers too pushed the campaign against growing global support to the farmers' agitation. Home Minister Amit Shah wrote, "Propaganda can not decide India's fate only 'Progress' can. India stands united and together to achieve progress."
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal added, "Fearing the growing power of India, international forces are conspiring to weaken our country, and the democracy of the country."
Source: India Today
