Tag: toolkit row

  • Toolkit row: Delhi cops seized hard disk from house without search warrant, says Shantanu Muluk’s father

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Two persons claiming to be Delhi Police personnel seized a computer hard disk and other items from the house of green activist Shantanu Muluk, a suspect in the “toolkit” case, without a search warrant on February 12, in Beed in Maharashtra, his father Shivlal Muluk has told local police.

    Beed superintendent of police Raja Ramaswami said on Wednesday that Shivlal Muluk made a representation to the police on Tuesday.

    “We got representation yesterday. We’ll enquire & accordingly take needful action (sic),” reads the message texted to PTI by Ramaswami.

    On Tuesday, the Bombay High Court granted transit anticipatory bail to Shantanu Muluk for 10 days.

    EDITORIAL | Disha Ravi not Mata Hari: Crackdown against toolkit creators over the top

    Shivlal Muluk, 54, made the representation as a “responsible citizen” to Beed Police and urged the SP to take appropriate action regarding the ‘search’ conducted at his house, an official said.

    The letter stated that two persons visited the residence of the Muluks in Chanakyapuri area in Beed on February 12 around 5.30 am and introduced themselves as officials of the Delhi Police by showing their identity cards, the official said.

    The duo told the Muluk family that Delhi Police wanted to know about Shantanu, saying he had committed treason and he had been in contact with pro-Khalistan people, the official said quoting the letter.

    The duo then searched all rooms in the house and took away a hard disk, an environment-related poster, a book, and a mobile phone cover from Shantanu Muluk’s room, it stated.

    According to Shivlal Muluk, the police officials did not show any search warrant and also didn’t obtain any permission from the family before taking away these items, the letter said.

    The police officials also didn’t prepare any ‘panchnama’ of the seized material, it stated.

    A Panchnama is a record of witness testimony, usually prepared by the police, during the investigation of a crime or after a death.

    The police officials also told the Muluk family that the seized material will be returned to them later, as per the representation.

    ALSO READ | Our daughter is innocent, we’re a humble family: Disha Ravi’s mother

    Shivlal Muluk also claimed that the visiting police team had asked him to come to the government guest house in Beed for questioning.

    The letter stated that Shivlal Muluk as a “responsible citizen” was informing about the visit of the Delhi Police to Beed SP as no local government official accompanied them.

    When contacted on phone, Shivlal Muluk said on Wednesday that he was not in a condition to speak.

    According to the Delhi police, Shantanu Muluk and Mumbai-based lawyer Nikita Jacob along with arrested accused Disha Ravi, an activist from Bengaluru, were allegedly involved in preparing the document and were in direct touch with “pro-Khalistani elements”.

    On Wednesday, the Bombay HC also granted transit anticipatory bail to Jacob.

    The Delhi police on Monday alleged that Ravi along with Jacob and Shantanu had created the toolkit and shared it with others to tarnish India’s image.

    Greta Thunberg, a celebrated climate activist, had shared the “toolkit” to lend support to the farmers’ agitation near Delhi borders against the Union government’s new agri laws.

  • Toolkit case: Suspect Nikita Jacob gets transit pre-arrest bail

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday granted transit anticipatory bail to advocate Nikita Jacob, a suspect in a case registered by Delhi police in connection with the “toolkit” shared by climate activist Greta Thunberg over the ongoing farmers’ protest.

    Justice P D Naik gave Jacob three weeks’ time to approach the court concerned in Delhi for relief.

    On Tuesday, another suspect in the case, Shantanu Muluk, an engineer based in Maharashtra’s Beed district, was also granted transit anticipatory bail for 10 days by the HC’s Aurangabad bench.

    Jacob and Muluk, who claim to be environmental activists, had approached the HC after a Delhi court issued non-bailable warrants against them.

    According to the Delhi police, the two along with arrested accused Disha Ravi, an activist from Bengaluru, were allegedly involved in preparing the document and were in direct touch with “pro-Khalistani elements”.

    The Delhi police on Monday alleged that Ravi along with Jacob and Shantanu created the toolkit and shared it with others to tarnish India’s image.

  • Toolkit case: Disha Ravi’s arrest made in accordance with law, says Delhi Police chief 

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Delhi Police Commissioner S N Shrivastava on Tuesday said the arrest of climate activist Disha Ravi was made in accordance with law which “doesn’t differentiate between a 22-year-old or 50-year-old”.

    Talking to reporters at an event here, Shrivastava said it is wrong when people say that there were lapses in the arrest of the 22-year-old activist.

    Ravi was arrested from Bengaluru on Saturday in connection with a protest toolkit backing the farmers’ agitation.

    Police claimed that she had sent the toolkit to teen climate activist Greta Thunberg through the Telegram app, and also “coaxed her to act on it”.

    “Disha Ravi’s arrest has been made in accordance with law which doesn’t differentiate between a 22-year-old or a 50-year-old,” the Delhi Police chief said.

    He said Ravi has been sent to five-day police custody and the matter was being probed.

    Ravi along with Mumbai lawyer Nikita Jacob and Pune engineer Shantanu created the toolkit and shared it with others to tarnish India’s image, the Delhi Police had said on Monday.

    The data was also deleted, police claimed, adding that Ravi’s Telegram account shows many links related to the toolkit had been removed.

    Non-bailable warrants have been issued against Jacob and Shantanu.

  • Disha’s arrest reflects govt’s frustration in trouncing independent thinking: Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Monday came out in support of climate activist Disha Ravi who was arrested by Delhi police over the “toolkit” controversy related to farmers’ protest on social media.

    Besides extending support to the climate activist, senior Congress leader launched a scathing attack on the Central government.

    “It is really ignominious to note that a 22-year-old environmental activist has become the victim of tyrannical govt, who thought that better to hector down a girl for her offence of supporting the farmers’ agitation and bow down before #China in #Ladakh than to uphold the basic rights of the common citizenry, and to teach a lesson to China,” Chowdhury tweeted.

    Attacking the central government over the arrest of the climate activist, the Congress leader said, “Narendra Modi Ji, you have been defeated morally by the satyagrahi farmers of India. It reflects your frustration in trouncing upon the independent thinking girl, putting her in jail. Today or tomorrow people of the country will deliver you a poetic justice.”

    Chowdhury in a subsequent tweet also said, “It is really ignominious to note that a 22-year-old environmental activist has become the victim of tyrannical govt, who thought that better to hector down a girl for her offence of supporting the farmers ‘ agitation and bow down before China in Ladakh than to uphold the basic rights of the common citizenry, and to teach a lesson to China.”

    Several political leaders slammed Delhi Police for arresting 21-year-old climate activist Disha Ravi from Bengaluru and termed her arrest as “unwarranted harassment, unfortunate and shocking”. She was arrested for allegedly editing and disseminating the “toolkit” on social media.

    Another Congress leader P Chidambaram said, “The Indian state must be standing on very shaky foundations if Disha Ravi, a 22-year-old student of Mount Carmel College and a climate activist, has become a threat to the nation.”

    A Delhi court on Sunday remanded Disha to five days of police custody following her arrest in connection with allegedly spreading a “toolkit” related to the farmers’ protest. Duty Metropolitan Magistrate Dev Saroha of Patiala House Courts Complex allowed Delhi Police to quiz Ravi for five days. She was arrested last week.

    According to the Delhi Police officials, Disha is a key conspirator in the “toolkit” case as she had admitted during the initial interrogation to editing, adding some things in the “toolkit” and spreading it further.

    Last week, the Delhi Police sent a communication to Google seeking registration details and activity log of the account through which a “toolkit” related to the farmers’ protest was created and uploaded on the social media platform.