Disha Ravi arrest: Change.org petition seeks immediate release of climate change activist

Support has been pouring in for arrested 22-year-old climate change activist Disha A. Ravi in the city. She has been trending on social media and multiple change.org petitions have condemned the arrest, pointed out procedural lapses in her arrest and have demanded her immediate release. A protest is planned for later in the day. “India should count itself fortunate that conscientious young Indians are actively engaged with shaping their futures in the face of ecological catastrophes….The government’s heavy-handedness is clearly focused on terrorising and traumatising these brave young people for speaking truth to power, and amounts to teaching them a lesson. A confident government must appreciate this resilience of our youth and hold open dialogues with them across the country. The current actions of the Indian Government, instead, amount to gagging democracy itself,” said a Change.org petition by the city-based Environment Support Group that calls for “immediate release of Disha Ravi”.